Changing Fate
by Fantasydreamer44
Summary: Libby, an 18 year old girl who is bored with her life, goes on the adventure of her wildest dreams. Gandalf brings her to Middle Earth, where she meets Bilbo and the company of dwarves. She decides to go on their journey with them. But is there a bigger reason why Gandalf brought her to Middle Earth? Will she be able to change the story and save the dwarf she loves from death?
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"Libby!"

My manager's voice drifted over to me. I was currently kneeling on the floor, restocking the baby socks on one of the displays. I sighed and stood up.

"There you are!" my manager, Shelby said. "Can you run to the cafe and get me a drink?"

"Sure," I replied. It was a little annoying that I always had to go on drink and food runs because I was the newest one there, but it meant I got to leave the store for a few minutes. Which meant I would get to enjoy a few short moments without hearing a baby screaming.

"I'll have a-"

"Medium Mountain Dew, half ice?"

Shelby grinned, "This is why you're my favorite."

She handed me her debit card and hurried to the register, where a line was forming.

While I loved working at the baby store, it was not always easy for me. I was eighteen years old and not in school. I graduated high school, of course, but I was not in college. It wasn't that I couldn't get into a school; In fact, with my good grades and community service hours, I could probably get into plenty of schools. It was just that I wasn't a big fan of school. To me, learning about things irrelevant to my life was boring and a waste of time. The only subjects I enjoyed in high school were English and Music. Music was my passion. I wanted to sing and perform for others. Through music I could be anyone; I could live any story. Despite my shy nature, performing came natural to me. It was my way of expressing myself.

Reading was also a big hobby of mine. I had always loved fantasy worlds. They were an excellent escape from my boring life. I found myself relying on my books more than ever now that all my friends had gone off to school, leaving me to spend most of my days working.

I sighed to myself. I didn't mind working. It gave me something to do all day and people to talk to. But it was a long and sometimes hectic day and it wasn't what I truly wished to be doing with my time. It was frustrating that I had to work in retail in order to make money. I should have been spending my time working on my singing career. I found myself doubting if it would ever happen.

I ordered Shelby's Mountain Dew at the cafe next to the store, and hurried back. The autumn wind blew my hair around my face, so I kept my head down and walked as fast as I could. Suddenly I bumped into something solid and began to lose my balance. I toppled backwards, the Mountain Dew flying out of my hands as I prepared to catch myself.

"Oh my!" came a soft voice.

I looked up to see a very tall, elderly man peering down at me with wide eyes. He looked familiar, but I couldn't remember where I had seen him before. He reached down and pulled me up with surprising strength.

I felt tears forming in my eyes when I realized that I would have to explain to my manager that I had spilt her drink. Sometimes I felt like I could do nothing right.

I sat down at one of the outdoor cafe tables and tried to collect myself. I felt my breaths coming in short gasps. Great, I was having one of my panic attacks. I had developed an anxiety problem in the beginning of the year, and it had been growing worse since my friends left for school. I felt like the world was crashing down around me.

"Now, now," said the man, sitting down across from me. "There is no need to cry over spilt milk...or whatever that was."

"Mountain...Dew," I said in between gasps. "For..my manager."

"Ahhh, I see."

"This isn't what I thought my life would be like!" I blurted out, resting my head on my hands, trying to control my breath.

"And what is it that you want your life to be like?" asked the man, stroking his long grey beard and observing me through deep blue eyes.

"Something exciting," I said. "I want to be able to travel and do the thing I love. I want my life to be an adventure. I want to live a life worth living."

"Hmm... I believe your life my turn around soon. You could possibly be living out your fantasies sooner than you think."

I actually believed the man...until I realized that he was probably just trying to calm a crazy girl down. He had been so kind to me. I really wanted to believe what he had told me, but I knew better than to let my imagination go too crazy. I felt like I had talked to him before, but I couldn't remember when.

"Have we met before?" I asked him, feeling quite shy and embarrassed now that my panic attack was coiming to an end.

"I believe we may have meet once or twice before...Good morning," he said with a twinkle in his eye. He stood up, bowed his head, and walked away.

I gawked at his back as he walked, but I did feel better after speaking with him. Then I sighed and decided to deliver the bad news about the Mountain Dew to my manager. I looked at the table and gasped.

On the table where the old man had been sitting, was a medium Mountain Dew, half ice.

"What took so long?" asked Shelby, taking the drink from my hand.

"There was a long line," I lied, feeling very strange.

"Okay, can you just hop on the register now, please. There is a long line of people here waiting to be rung out."

Finally at ten o'clock, after a long day of work, I had showered and eaten, and was in my bed with a good book. I tried to ignore the dull ache in my feet that matched the one in my head.

After staying up too late, like always, I had finished my book. I shut off my light and laid back, imagining myself in a fantasy world.

I would be braver than I was now and I would know how to sword fight. I would also be beautiful, with shiny hair and a perfect figure. I would use my skills to defeat the bad guy. Not to mention the handsome prince who would help me save the day and then sweep me off my feet. Why couldn't my life be like that? My mind continued to wander as I drifted off to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

BEEP-BEEP-BEEP!

My alarm went off. I opened my eyes, hesitantly. It was 7:30. I groaned and rolled over.

"_Too early!_" I thought, angrily.

I forced myself out of bed and began to get ready for work. I went to my closet and pulled out my favorite pair of dark skinny jeans, a light pink, lace top, and a white cardigan. I slipped into my gold, sparkly flats and put my pearl earrings into my ears. I went over to the mirror and observed my body. The top half of my body I didn't mind so much; it was the bottom half that I couldn't stand. I wasn't really fat...although I thought I was. I carried my weight in my thighs and butt. I was starting to panic so I moved the focus of my eyes up to my face.

I had a pale face with pink cheeks. My lips were quite full, but my nose and ears were small. My eyes were light blue under slightly thick eyebrows. I had a face that made me look younger than I actually was. It used to bother me, but I had come accept it. I shook out my reddish brown hair. It tumbled half-way down my back. I had tamed it so that it fell neatly, not in the wild waves that it would be naturally.

I looked at the clock. Somehow the time had flown forwards to 8:40. I rushed to grab my purse and headed out the door. Once I parked, I put my name tag around my neck and pasted a fake smile on my face. I got out of the car and walked over to the store. I pushed open the door.

There was a flash of blinding white light; then there was nothing.

I opened my eyes to see a very bright blue sky above me.

_Did I pass out walking to work?_

I felt soft grass beneath me.

_Grass? There is no grass in the store parking lot..._

I sat up slowly. My body ached as if I had fallen. I took in the sight before me and felt my eyes grow wide. It couldn't be...

I blinked several times and rubbed my eyes. But nothing changed. I was looking at Bag End.

It essentially looked like a large, grassy hill. The only thing that gave it away was the round door and windows. There was a short fence around the base of the hill with an adjoined mailbox labeled _Bilbo Baggins. _

It was breathtakingly beautiful. The grass and wild flowers all bright and healthy looking- much nicer looking than the ones where I was from.

The round door swung open and a little man stepped out. Except it wasn't a man-his extremely large and hairy feet gave that away-it was a hobbit. The very hobbit that lived in Bag End. Mr. Bilbo Baggins himself. He looked very much like I had pictured him. He had thick, curly, light brown hair and bright green eyes. His ears were quite large and pointy, as all hobbit's ears were. His nose upturned slightly and it gave him a very innocent and friendly look about him.

He walked down the steps to his mailbox and got his mail. He shuffled through it and was about to turn back around to go inside, when he spotted me. He froze, his eyes taking in the sight of the frazzled-looking girl sprawled on the ground outside of his home.

"Good morning," he said, smiling.

All I could do was stare.

Bilbo looked around, hesitantly.

"Can I help you with anything?"

I panicked.

_Bilbo Baggins is asking me a question! A fictional character is speaking to me! Okay...okay. Calm down; breath..._

I glanced up at Bilbo, who was looking down at me with a concerned expression on his face.

_Say something!_

"I...um...I'm...lost..." I said, lamely.

"Oh!" said Bilbo, surprised. "Well where are you heading? Maybe I can point out the way."

"I don't know..."

"You don't know where you are going?"

I felt my cheeks growing warm. Bilbo Baggins probably thought me a fool.

"That's quite alright," he said, quickly. "Which way did you come from? I'm sure if you just go back the way you came, you will find your way home."

"I think I fell from the sky," I shook my head. "I can't remember how I got here."

"You poor thing! You must have fallen and hit your head." Bilbo said with pity. "Why don't you come inside and rest until you can remember."

He reached down, grabbed my hands, and pulled me up. I was shocked to find that I was about the same height as him. Either hobbits were not as small as I thought, or I had shrunken.

"My name is Bilbo Baggins, by the way," Bilbo said as he lead me up the steps.

_I know!_

"I'm Libby Snow," I told him.

Bilbo opened the door and we stepped into Bag End. Like Bilbo, it was exactly as I pictured it would be. It was cluttered and there was a lot of furniture, but everything was neat and tucked away in its place. Bilbo gave me a quick tour of the hobbit hole, then told me to go sit at the table.

"I'll get something for you to eat," he said, bustling around in his pantry.

"It's alright," I said, quickly. "I'm not really hungry."

"Not hungry?" Bilbo stopped short. "Nonsense!"

So Bilbo cooked us a meal of fish and rice and gave me a glass of wine to drink.

I looked at the wine. Of course there was no drinking age here. I was one of those rare kids who never drank in high school. So I was wary of the wine, sure it would intoxicate me quickly. I did politely eat the fish, even though at home I never liked seafood. The fish wasn't actually that bad here.

"If you don't mind me asking," said Bilbo while we were eating. "What kind of creature are you, exactly? You have tiny and very hairless feet, so you can't be a hobbit. And I've never seen a hobbit wear shoes, let alone anything as elaborate as yours."

I laughed as Bilbo eyed my sparkly flats.

"Where I am from, I am called a human. There are no other races of people other than man. And a lot of times, shoes are worn based on how they look; not how functional and practical they are."

"Really? How odd!" Exclaimed Bilbo. "And are your clothes the same way? Why do you wear your name around your neck?"

"Clothes are worn to protect and cover you somewhat, but there are so many different types of clothes. So each person can wear whatever they like. I guess, what I am trying to say, is that each person has their own style. For example, I love the color pink and I like lace, so I chose this shirt because of that. And I love things that sparkle," I nodded to my shoes. "And I had to wear this nametag for my work."

"What did you do for work?" Bilbo asked. "I can't believe a fair maiden, such as yourself, had to do much work at all."

"I sold clothing for children to wear. And I work because I had to make money somehow. Where I come from a person-no matter what gender- can't rely on their parent's money forever."

"How odd," said Bilbo. "And you sell clothes that are already made? I mean to say, you don't just sell the cloth to make the clothes?"

"Hardly anyone makes their own clothes anymore. I bet most people don't even know how to sew. I can sew, but very poorly. People want stylish clothing that is pre-made and is all set to wear. It is like that with all clothing, not just children's."

"From what you have been telling me," began Bilbo, thoughtfully. "I believe that your people focus too much on looks."

"You have no idea."

After a long chat, Bilbo drew me a bath and lent me one of his night shirts to wear afterwards. Once I was dressed, he lead me into his guest room.

"I hope this will be comfortable enough for you."

"Of course!" I said. "Thank you so much for all of your hospitality."

"It is my pleasure, really," replied Bilbo, looking very pleased. He smiled before leaving.

I laid down on the soft bed and my brain pondered the crazy events that had taken place that day.

_I am lying in a hobbit bed...in Bag End...which is Bilbo Baggins' home...How is this possible?_

The world that I had read about so many times, was real and I was in it. I had no idea how I got there and I had no idea how to get out. But did I really want to leave? Finally something interesting was happening to me and I was determined to make the most out of it while it lasted.

I leaned over and blew out the candle on the bedside table. I felt very warm, cozy, and safe. Soon I was drifting off to sleep. The last thing I thought was,

_Please don't let this be a dream. _


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I opened my eyes. It was morning. I hated mornings, so I rolled over to get some more sleep. That was until I remembered where I was. My eyes shot open and I sat up, looking around.

_It wasn't just a dream!_

I gave a breathless laugh in relief.

I wandered out into the dining room, where Bilbo was dressed and eating breakfast.

"There you are," he smiled as I walked in. "I made you some eggs."

"Thank you," I said sleepily, sitting down and beginning to eat. Everything Bilbo cooked tasted so much better than it did at home.

"Do you remember anything yet?" Bilbo asked casually.

"No," I said wondering if I was bothering him by being here. I would have to leave and go out into Middle Earth alone and unprepared. I wouldn't last a day. I felt my heart rate speed up. "I-I can leave if you want me too..."

"Nonsense! You will stay as long as you need to."

I felt a rush of gratitude towards my new friend.

After breakfast, Bilbo gave me a dress he had gotten from one of his neighbors that morning. It was a bit loose, but I tied the waist with a ribbon I found in one of the drawers in the guest room. Bilbo showed me a pair of slippers some of the hobbit girls made for me. He said they used my sparkle flats as a guide.

"They were quite fascinated by them," grinned Bilbo. "Hobbits never wear shoes. We don't need to. And the girls thought they were very cute being so tiny and all."

We went around the Shire to introduce me to the other hobbits. They were all eager to see "Bilbo's mystery girl" or "the girl with the tiny feet". Everyone was beyond kind to me and I was very pleased that the hobbits-who hated anything out of the ordinary- were quick to accept me.

We went back to Bag End, where Bilbo ate second breakfast. I politely excused myself from eating again and tried to explain that I only ate three or four times a day. I don't think Bilbo understood it. He told me that a hobbit's favorite things were eating, smoking, and socializing. I told him more about the people back home.

* * *

A month quickly passed by. The hobbit women sewed me some more dresses. They were very interested in me and they loved to ask questions about the fashions were I came from.

I fell into an easy pattern with Bilbo. We sat together every day and just talked. We talked about everything. Bilbo told me all that he knew about Middle Earth. He showed me all of the books and maps that he owned. We took walks around the Shire every day and said hello to all of the hobbits.

Bilbo heard me singing to myself one day as I cleaned up my room.

"Wow, your voice is beautiful."

"Thank you," I said smiling. I told him about my dream to sing and perform and how hard it was to make that dream come true.

"Wait here," said Bilbo rushing from the room suddenly.

"Bilbo! Where are you going?"

Bilbo was already halfway out the door.

"Stay here," he said. "I'll be back later."

I stared at the door as he shut it.

_What the heck was that all about?_

It was dark out when Bilbo finally returned.

"Come on Libby!" he said rushing through the door. "I have to show you something!"

"What is it?" I asked, pulling on my cloak.

"You will see," said Bilbo with a sly smile.

Bilbo pulled me out the door and into a small field, where all of the hobbits in the Shire were sitting on the grass.

"What's going on?" I asked, confused.

"You said you wanted to sing," said Bilbo. "So go sing!"

"Right here? Right now?"

"Yes Libby! You said you wanted to perform and there is a group of hobbits here waiting to hear some music."

So I swallowed my nervousness and stepped up on the wooden platform that Bilbo must have built that day. And I began to sing. After one song, I paused unsure if they liked it. The hobbits cheered and cheered. I sang another and then another; I sang until the sun came up. It was wonderful! The hobbits loved it so much, that I sang for them at least once a week. And the hobbits sang and played their instruments as well. I even got Bilbo to sing with me once. It was the beginning of a great tradition.

* * *

Another night, when I thought Bilbo was taking a moonlit stroll in the garden, I let the tears I had been holding back for a while flow freely. Bilbo must have come inside because he rushed into my room.

"Libby, Libby!" he cried. "What is the matter?"

I threw my arms around his neck, longing to be close to someone and cried into his shoulder. He rubbed my back, soothingly.

"I miss my family," I sobbed.

"I know," he said, gently. "It will be alright."

He pulled out of my embrace and smiled.

"Wait here," he said, brushing my hair out of my face. He hurried from the room.

Once he returned, he held up a gold chain. There was a single pearl hanging from it.

"This belonged to my mother, Belladonna Took. She told me that this pearl was found on the shore of the Undying Lands."

I stared at the necklace in awe as I remembered all that Bilbo had told me about the Undying Lands.

"Whether that is true or not...I don't know," Bilbo laughed softly. "But my mother wore this everyday and I would like you to keep it safe for me."

"Oh, Bilbo," I breathed. "I couldn't possibly take this."

"Of course you can," said Bilbo, walking behind me to clasp the necklace around my neck. "You are part of my family now."

That caused me to cry all over again.

As I was lying in bed that night, my mind wandered. Bilbo was so much kinder and gentler than Tolkien gave him credit for. And I couldn't pretend that I hadn't heard the rumors that were flying around the Shire. Everyone was predicting that any day now Bilbo was going to take me as his wife. I did love Bilbo, but as a brother or father figure...not in a romantic way at all. But I would never want to ruin the friendship we had by rejecting a proposal from him. I wondered if I stayed with him long enough, if I would come to love him romantically. I tried so hard to picture him as my husband, but I just couldn't.

* * *

**Author's note: Thank you so much for reading my story so far! Sorry if this chapter is a little boring; I am just trying to develop the relationship between Bilbo and Libby. I promise the adventure (and maybe some romance *wink wink*) will start in the next chapter. Please leave a review and let me know what you think so far. Thanks again!**

**~Fantasydreamer44 **


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

I woke up the next morning and put on one of the dresses the hobbit girls had made me. They had captured my style perfectly, making my dresses out of soft, pastel-colored fabrics. The dress I choose today was light pink with white lace at the neckline and sleeves. I clasped the necklace Bilbo gave me around my neck and looked at my reflection in the mirror on my dressing table.

There was no make-up here and my skin was not perfect. I had a few old and faded acne scars. There was also no other way to wear my hair than natural. It waved down my back; not in the sleek way it once had, but in a wild fashion.

Yet even without the things I thought I needed in my old world, I felt so much better here than I had ever felt there. The hobbits weren't airbrushed and stick thin like the models I used to look at in magazines. They weren't really focused on looks at all. They were happy as they were. Their attitude was helping me not to worry so much about my own looks and just enjoy things in life, like eating a good meal and enjoying company.

Once I was dressed, the day began as it normally did. Bilbo and I walked around the Shire, I sang a bit, we ate together, and Bilbo let me look at his books. It didn't seem as if this day was going to be any different than any of the other days.

That evening, I sat with Bilbo on the bench outside of Bag End. Bilbo was smoking a pipe-something I wasn't fond of-and I was reading. We had been sitting there for awhile when suddenly I heard coughing.

I looked up to see Bilbo waving away the smoke that was in his (and my) face. Once the smoke cleared, I saw an old man peering down at us. He was wearing a long grey cloak and a matching grey, pointed hat. He had a long grey beard and was leaning on a tall staff. Of course I knew who it was at once. It was Gandalf the Grey Wizard.

"Good morning," said Bilbo, uncomfortably.

"What do you mean?" asked Gandalf. "Do you mean to wish me a good morning; or do you mean that it is a good morning whether I want it or not? Or perhaps you mean to say that you feel good on this particular morning; or are you simply stating that this is a morning to be good on?"

I held back a laugh at the bewildered expression on Bilbo's face.

"All of them at once, I suppose," Bilbo decided after a moment's thought.

Gandalf stared at us with very deep and knowing eyes. Eyes that had observed me once before...

"Can I help you?" asked Bilbo, still confused.

"That remains to be seen," said Gandalf, quietly. "I am looking for someone to share in an adventure."

Bilbo looked stunned and quite taken aback.

"An adventure? No, I don't imagine anyone west of Bree would have much interest in adventures."

Bilbo stood up and went over to the mail box.

"Nasty, disturbing, _uncomfortable _things. Make you late for dinner," Bilbo gave a nervous laugh and began shuffling through his mail, looking rather uncomfortable himself. He kept looking up at Gandalf as if to see if he was going to leave. He then walked back over to the bench, grabbed my wrist, and began pulling me up the steps with him. "Well...Good morning."

"To think I should have lived to be 'Good morninged' by Belladonna Took's son! As if I was selling buttons at the door," said Gandalf, irritated.

Bilbo froze, still holding my wrist tightly.

"I beg your pardon?"

"You have changed, Bilbo Baggins," said Gandalf, shaking his head. "And not entirely for the better."

"I'm sorry, do I know you?"

"You know my name," said Gandalf. "Though you do not remember that I belong to it!"

"That's Gandalf!" I squeaked excitedly, not being able to stay silent any longer. Gandalf nodded at me with a smile.

Bilbo looked at me then to Gandalf, shocked.

"Not Gandalf the wandering wizard who made such excellent fireworks? Old Took used to have them on midsummer's eve! I had no idea you were still in business."

"And where should I be?"

"Well..." Bilbo cleared his throat, awkwardly.

Gandalf looked disappointed.

"Well I am pleased to find you remember something about me. Even if it is only my fireworks. Well, that's decided then. It will be _very _good for you and most amusing for me. I shall inform the others."

"Inform the others?" asked Bilbo. "What? No, wait!"

He pulled me quickly up the stairs.

"We do not want any adventures here! Thank you, not today! I suggest you try over the hill or across the wood...Good morning," Bilbo finished politely as he dragged me into Bag End and shut the door.

"But Bilbo-" I protested, but he cut me off.

"No, Libby," he locked the door and pushed me into the other room. "Absolutely no adventures!"

There was no arguing with him.

That night, after Bilbo had taken a long bath and had calmed down a bit, things seemed like they were back to normal. Bilbo made us dinner and we were just about to start eating when the doorbell rang. I looked up at Bilbo and saw my own confusion reflected back at me. Bilbo went to the door.

I tried to listen to see if I recognized the voice of our visitor. It was deep and rumbling; not like any hobbit voice I had heard before.

Then a huge man sauntered into the dining room. Huge compared to a hobbit-sized girl anyway. This man was actually dwarf...a huge, burly dwarf with a bald head. He was covered in tattoos.

"Hello," I said, stunned.

He nodded at me before sitting down in Bilbo's spot and devouring the food on Bilbo's plate. Bilbo watched with a look of disgust on his face. I will admit, I had a hard time keeping a look of disgust off my own face. The dwarf stuffed his face like he had never eaten food before.

"That was very good. Any more?" asked the dwarf, licking his fingers.

"You can have mine," I said, pushing my plate forwards. I had lost my appetite.

The doorbell rang.

Bilbo looked at it with panic written all over his face. It rang again and this time the dwarf looked up.

"That'll be the door."

I went to the door with Bilbo. He pulled it open to reveal a short, old dwarf with long white hair and beard and a rather large nose.

"Balin, at your service," the new dwarf smiled at us.

"Good evening," Bilbo said, confused.

"Yes, yes it is, though I believe it might rain later. Am I late?"

"Late for what?" asked Bilbo, a bit desperately.

Balin's eyes looked past Bilbo and on to the burly dwarf, who was now in the pantry searching for more food.

"Evening, Dwalin," said Balin walking over to him.

"By my beard, brother, you are shorter and wider than when we last met," said Dwalin , laughing.

"Wider, not shorter," Balin replied, grinning.

Both dwarves moved into the pantry to examine the food. Bilbo hovered behind them trying to tell them that they were in the wrong house. Both dwarves ignored him. It was a funny sight, but I tried not to laugh for Bilbo's sake.

The doorbell rang once again.

"Who is it this time?" Bilbo grumbled.

I followed him to the door.

The sight of two young dwarves made me freeze.

"Fili," said the first dwarf. He had long, golden hair, a short beard with a braided moustache, and bluish-grey eyes. His smile was warm and he had a friendly twinkle in his eyes.

"And Kili," announced the second dwarf. He had long, dark brown hair, yet no beard; only stubble. His deep, brown eyes were set under thick eyebrows. His eyes were intense, yet they still held something light about them. Was it innocence? Humor? Whatever it was, it made my stomach drop.

"At your service," the brothers said together, bowing.

"You must be Mr. Boggins," said Kili in a deep voice. His smile made my heart flutter.

_Stop that! _I told my heart, angrily.

"Nope, you can't come in. You have come to the wrong house!" said Bilbo, closing the door.

Kili quickly stuck his foot in the way and pushed the door back open.

"What?" he asked with a look of concern. "Has it been canceled?"

"No one told us anything," said Fili.

"No-nothing's been canceled," said Bilbo, not sure what they were talking about.

"Well that's a relief!" said Kili, grinning.

The two brothers pushed open the door completely and stepped inside, dumping their weapons in Bilbo's arms.

"Careful with those," ordered Fili, "I just had them sharpened."

They looked around the hall. Their eyes simultaneously landed on me and matching mischievous smiles appeared on their faces.

"Well, hello there. What's your name?" asked Fili.

"Libby," I replied, shyly. These were definitely _not _the dwarves I remembered Tolkien describing.

Fili and Kili shared a sly look before each taking one of my hands and kissing it.

"And how are you this evening, Miss Libby?" asked Kili.

"Fine, thank you," I said nervously, pulling my hands back. Guys had never paid any attention to me in my old world and I was honestly unsure how to handle this situation. I was just trying my best not to swoon like a twelve year old girl.

It wasn't hard to notice that Kili's intense gaze lingered on my face much longer than Fili's did. It wasn't until Dwalin called them from the other room, that he turned away.

The brothers went to join Dwalin and Balin and they began moving Bilbo's furniture around.

I stood, stunned.

_What the heck was that? I had to have just imagined that. No way would someone as good-looking as him even give me the time of day. I just have to calm down and breathe. _

"Oh my," mumbled Bilbo, coming to stand next to me.

I put my hand gently on his arm. I was just as confused as he was. But I did feel bad for him. Bag End was his home after all. And there were currently four dwarves messing everything up.

The doorbell rang once more and this time, Bilbo lost it.

"Oh no! No, no, no! There's nobody home. Go away and bother somebody else! There are far too many dwarves in my dining room as it is. If this is some kind of joke, I can only say, it is in very poor taste!"

He yanked open the door only to have eight more dwarves topple forwards onto the floor. They grumbled and muttered angrily as they tried to get up off of each other. Gandalf stuck his head inside and smiled. He gave me a wink.

As the new dwarves made themselves at home, Bilbo scurried around after them, trying to stop them from eating all of the food and ruining the furniture.

Gandalf walked out of the dining room and into the hall, hitting his head on the chandelier by accident. Wizards were much too tall for hobbit holes. I followed him, wanting to talk to him about the growing suspicion I'd had since he came earlier that day.

"Fili, Kili..Oin, Gloin, Dwalin, Balin...Bifur, Bofur, Bombur... Dori, Nori... Ori..." Gandalf counted on his fingers.

A slightly wild looking dwarf with a huge head of black hair and beard walked over. He muttered something I could not understand. I smiled at him, warily, then did a double take. He had an axe blade lodged into his temple. I did my best to hide my horror.

"Yes, you're quite right, Bifur," said Gandalf, who seemed to have understood the dwarf. "We appear to be short one dwarf."

"He is late, is all," said Dwalin, who was walking by. "He traveled north to a meeting of our kin. He will come."

Once Gandalf and I were alone once again, I tugged on the sleeve of his robe to get his attention.

"Miss Libby," he smiled down at me. "How are you?"

"Amazed actually," I replied. "It was you I talked to that day I spilled my manager's drink, wasn't it?"

Gandalf smiled slyly.

"You sent me here!"

"My dear girl," began Gandalf. "You are too clever for me. Yes, I did bring you here."

I shook my head in disbelief.

"I just want to know why. Why me?"

"I believe you will be of great importance on this journey. Not only to Mr. Baggins, but the others as well. You could make the end of the journey a better one."

I tried to remember the end of _The Hobbit, _but I had read it so long ago, I couldn't.

"Why did you make me shrink, then?" I blurted out.

"Ah, that I did not do."

Gandalf must have noticed the look of confusion on my face because he said,

"The magic I used to bring you here is very complicated. When I sent you here, I did not know for sure where you would end up-although I had an idea. And I believe that you became a size that would help you fulfill your destiny here. You are hobbit sized so you can fit in here at the Shire. You are also small enough to fit in with the dwarves."

I sighed. This was a lot to take in.

Gandalf squeezed my tiny hand in his large one.

"This journey may help you as well, Miss Libby."

At that moment, Bilbo walked in grabbing a doily away from one of the dwarves and muttering angrily.

"My dear Bilbo, what on earth is the matter?" asked Gandalf.

"What's the matter? I am surrounded by dwarves. What are they doing here?"

"Oh, they're quite a merry gathering, once you get used to them," said Gandalf.

"I don't _want _to get used to them. The state of my Kitchen! There is mud trod into the carpet, they've pillaged the pantry. I don't understand what they are doing in my house!"

A young looking dwarf walked up to Bilbo, cutting off his rant.

"Excuse me. I'm sorry to interrupt, but what should I do with my plate?" he asked, sweetly.

Fili, who was strolling by, grabbed the plate.

"Here you go, Ori. Give it to me."

Fili threw the plate down the hall. Kili caught it with perfect reflexes and threw it to Bifur in the kitchen. Soon, dishes were flying through the air.

"Excuse me!" squeaked Bilbo indignantly. "That is my mother's West Farthing crockery; it's over two hundred years old!"

The dwarves sitting at the table began pounding a rhythm out on the table by banging their utensils and crossing them together.

"Can you not do that?" asked Bilbo. "You'll blunt them!"

Bofur-whose name I could remember because of his silly hat- laughed.

"Ooo, do you hear that lads? He says we'll _blunt the knives_..."

"Blunt the knives, bend the forks," Kili began to sing with his deep voice.

_ He is good-looking and he can sing? Well that's it; I'm in trouble._

"Smash the bottles and burn the corks," continued Fili.

All of the dwarves joined in.

_Chip the glasses and crack the plates!_

_That's what Bilbo Baggins hates -_

_Cut the cloth tread on the fat!_  
_Leave the bones on the bedroom mat!_  
_Pour the milk on the pantry floor!_

_Splash the wine on every door!_  
_Dump the crocks in a boiling bowl;_  
_Pound them up with a thumping pole;_  
_And when you've finished, if they are whole,_  
_Send them down the hall to roll!_

_That's what Bilbo Baggins hates!_

By the end of the song, all of the dishes were stacked neatly in the sink. Gandalf and I joined in laughing with the dwarves. Bilbo shook his head, but I could see a hint of a smile on his face.

A knock on the door silenced everyone.

"He's here," said Gandalf, forebodingly.

Bilbo took my hand and we went to go see this newcomer.

When Gandalf opened the door, a proud dwarf-taller than the rest- stepped inside. He had long dark hair, slightly streaked with grey and ice blue eyes. His beard was trimmed short.

Everyone stayed silent. There was something about this dwarf that made everyone stand up a bit straighter. This had to be who Gandalf and Dwalin were talking about earlier.

"Gandalf," spoke the new dwarf in a voice even deeper than Kili's. "I thought you said this place would be easy to find. I lost my way twice. I wouldn't have found it at all had it not been for that mark on the door."

"Mark?" Bilbo spoke up. "There's no mark. That door was painted a week ago!"

Gandalf cleared his throat.

"There is a mark; I put it there. Bilbo Baggins-and Miss Libby- let me introduce the leader of our company, Thorin Oakenshield."

* * *

**Arthur's note: Thanks for reading! Please feel free to leave a review (good or bad...but hopefully good!) And I will see you soon with more! **

** Oh and I also wanted to say that this is going to be following the movies. Well, at least the first movie anyway. I have read the book, but I just loved the first movie so much. The second one, I'm not so sure about yet. It was sooo different from the book. But we'll see what I decide to do when we get there! For now, this first part is going to be based on ****_The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey._**

**_-Fantasydreamer44_**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5:

Thorin looked Bilbo up and down.

"So this is the hobbit. Tell me, Mr. Baggins, have you done much fighting?"

"Pardon me?" asked Bilbo, taken aback.

"Axe or sword? What is your weapon of choice?"

"Well, I have some skill at Conkers, if you must know...but I fail to see why that is relevant."

_Oh, Bilbo. It's like you _want_ to make a fool out of yourself. _

"I thought as much," replied Thorin, looking at Bilbo in disappointment. "He looks more like a grocer than a burglar."

The dwarves laughed and made their way back into the dining room. I squeezed Bilbo's hand. He looked weary.

We followed the dwarves and I quickly went to fetch Thorin some food to eat. Thankfully, there was still some stew left. I scooped it into a bowl and placed it in front of him.

He nodded at me in thanks and I began to walk away. He grabbed my arm and stared at me through narrowed eyes. My heart began to pound.

"I take it you are the hobbit's wife."

"Me?" I squeaked in surprise. "Married to Bilbo? No, I'm not..."

I looked around and saw all of the dwarves staring at me. Kili's stare was the most intense-as I expected.

"I am not Bilbo's wife," I said again, just to clarify.

Thorin looked at me like I had three heads, but he moved on.

I quickly hurried over to sit in the corner of the room to observe. I had a slight recollection of what was about to unfold before me, but I was in awe and I just wanted to watch it, to actually live it.

The dwarves discussed their quest to take back Erebor from Smaug the Terrible. They alone were going to try and take back the mountain. Gandalf gave Thorin a key that was supposedly for a hidden door in the mountain. This is when they turned to Bilbo. They needed a burglar to help sneak them in.

"But I'm not a burglar," Bilbo protested. "I've never stolen a thing in my life!"

At that, the dwarves began to argue-about Bilbo, about dragons, about everything. They shouted over one another and I was beginning to feel very overwhelmed. Finally Gandalf stood up, towering over us all. His shadow engulfed us.

"Enough!" he said, his voice echoing. "If I say Bilbo Baggins is a burglar, then a burglar he is."

The dwarves stopped yelling, immediately. Gandalf sat back down and explained how having Bilbo come along had its benefits.

"Very well. We will do it your way," grumbled Thorin.

Balin handed Bilbo the contact. Bilbo walked out into the hall to look over it, muttering to himself as he read.

I felt eyes on me and I looked up. Kili was watching me. I looked away quickly, blushing.

Just as I had gathered enough courage and was about to look up at Kili and give him a smile, Bilbo squeaked out,

"Incineration?"

"Aye, Smaug could melt the flesh off your bones in the blink of an eye," said Bofur.

"You alright, laddie?" asked Balin.

I looked up at Bilbo, who was bent over with his hands on his knees.

"Uh...yeah..." Bilbo wheezed. "I feel a bit faint..."

"Think furnace with wings," continued Bofur, not having the slightest clue he was making things worse.

"Air...I-I need air!" cried Bilbo.

"Flash of light, searing pain, then _poof_!" said Bofur, ignoring my vigorous head shaking. "You're nothing more than a pile of ash."

Bilbo was breathing heavily. All eyes were on him, waiting for his response. He did not look good at all.

"Bilbo?" I asked, standing up.

Bilbo collapsed to the floor.

"Bilbo!" I cried out, pushing my way past he dwarves to him.

Gandalf picked Bilbo up and carried him to his bedroom. I was right on Gandalf's heels.

"He will be fine!" said Gandalf, as I hovered over Bilbo. "He just fainted is all. Now go out into the sitting room and entertain the dwarves somehow."

With a last worried glance at Bilbo, I did as I was told. I made my way to the sitting room, nervously.

_How the heck am I supposed to keep thirteen dwarves entertained? _

I didn't even have time to panic about that, because as soon as I entered the room, Fili waved me over to where he and Kili were sitting.

"Hello there, Miss Libby," he smiled. "How's your husband getting along?

"For the last time," I said, exasperated. "I am not married to Bilbo!"

"Why then," asked Kili, smirking. "Is a young hobbit girl, such as yourself, living with a male hobbit to whom she is not married to? It seems a bit scandalous to me..."

"I'm not a-" I began to blurt out, but stopped myself.

"You're not a what?" questioned Fili.

"N-never mind," I stuttered hastily. I tried to back away from their accusing stares.

Fili kept walking towards me.

"I...I'm...Bilbo's...cousin..." I lied terribly, walking backwards still.

I backed into something and lost my balance, falling ungracefully into the open arms of Kili-who had somehow snuck up behind me. I felt the heat in my cheeks as he looked down at me with a grin.

"I knew it!" Fili roared, triumphantly. He was pointing to my feet, which had been exposed as I fell. "Never in my life have I heard of any hobbit having such tiny feet. And you are so much more slender than the others we saw on the way here."

Normally, I would have been so pleased that he called me slender, but Thorin was marching over to us and he looked intimidating. I tried to cover up my feet with my dress, but it was too late. All the dwarves had seen.

"What is the meaning of this?" growled Thorin. He honestly scared me silly. "Tell me what you are and why you're here."

_ Oh my gosh! What do I do? How can I explain to him that I fell into this world? He won't believe me._

Just then, Gandalf walked into the room. His eyes took in the odd scene. He gave me a small smile when his eyes landed on me, and I realized that I was still in Kili's arms. I felt my face grow warm again as I pushed myself away from Kili.

"Sorry," I mumbled, embarrassed.

"Any time, love," replied Kili, grinned wider as my blush grew deeper.

"Everyone calm down," said Gandalf, mostly looking at Thorin. "You are right; Libby is not a hobbit. She is from a very faraway place, extremely different from Middle Earth. In her world, she is called a human, although she is not like the humans here. I brought her here and she belongs here now."

And that was the end of that discussion.

Once the dwarves settled back down and chatted amongst themselves, I gave Gandalf a grateful smile.

Fili and Kili made it clear they weren't done with me as they followed me into the kitchen. I went over to the sink to wash the dirty-yet very neatly stacked-dishes. Poor Bilbo had enough on his plate and he didn't need to worry about washing the dishes as well.

"Where _are_ you from?" asked Fili.

"Umm, it's called America," I answered, scrubbing a plate.

"What is it like there?" asked Kili.

"It's very different from here," I replied.

_ For one thing, we had dishwashers. _

"People aren't as nice there as they are here. There is hardly anyone has cheerful and good natured as the hobbits. It was always about how to do things quicker and how a person could gain more money or fame."

"Not everyone here is nice either," said Kili, darkly.

"Like Orcs," agreed Fili.

"Fili, Kili; what are you doing in there?" came Thorin's voice.

"Helping Miss Libby with the dishes," Fili shouted back.

I raised my eyebrows. They both picked up some dish rags to dry.

"Now we are, anyway," grinned Kili.

I rolled my eyes at them, but couldn't help but smile.

"Where I come from, there are no Orcs," I continued. "There was no other race besides humans. But it was much more advanced than Middle Earth. Our technology would blow your minds. But there was so much war. There always seemed to be someone hating someone else. We had such great technology, but people were using it to hurt other groups that they didn't get along with. My world was divided into countries-America was my country- and throughout all of history we were fighting with other countries. Even the people in America didn't get along with each other..."

I stopped, aware that I was rambling on. I felt my face grow warm. Kili's intense gaze was on me.

_Way to go, Libby. Talk about war and people killing each other... that's a good way to get a cute guy to like you.._

I quickly finished up the dishes and we made our way back into the living room. Bilbo wasn't there still. I sat down on the sofa and to my immense surprise, Kili sat down next to me.

_Ok, maybe you weren't as bad as you thought you were..._

Fili sat down next to him, which meant that we had to squish together. I tried to remain calm as Kili was pushed into my side. He had no choice but to put his arm over the back of the sofa behind me.

The dwarves talked and laughed. Gandalf was right; they were a merry gathering.

I sat, listening and laughing along with them. I observed each dwarf, trying to put all of the names with faces. There was Thorin- whom I was slightly afraid of, Fili, and Kili. Then there was Balin-wise and kind- and his brother Dwalin- the first dwarf I had met and he was still as serious and tough as when he first arrived. There was Oin-who laughed even though I didn't think he could hear much of what was going on- and Gloin-a blunt, grimacing dwarf. There was the three brothers Dori-I noticed him drinking a lot, Nori-who looked like he was up to something, and Ori- who seemed sweet and innocent. I found myself relating to the naive Ori. Next was Bomber- who was _huge, _and his brother Bofur- who was goofy and quite sweet as well. Both brothers seemed like they were the most friendly and good-natured of the group, apart from Fili and Kili of course. And finally there was Bifur-who was the dwarf with the axe in his head.

We all sat in front of the fire. As the night went on, they seemed to become less cheery and more serious. Thorin began humming a haunting tune, the other dwarves quickly joined in.

Thorin began to sing,

_Far over the Misty Mountains cold,_

_To dungeons deep and caverns old,_

_We must away, ere break of day,_

_To see our pale, enchanted gold._

The others joined in, standing up to be with their leader. Their voices were strong and steady.

_The sword is sharp, the spear is long,_

_The arrow swift, the gate is strong._

_The heart is bold that looks on gold;_

_The dwarves no more shall suffer wrong._

_With foes ahead, behind us dread,_

_Beneath the sky shall be our bed,_

_Until at last our toil be passed,_

_Our journey done, our errand sped._

Once they finished, I realized I had goose bumps down my arms. It was magical, there was no other way to describe it. Their voices held such sorrow, passion, and determination. It made me want to help them.

The atmosphere had changed. I felt like I was intruding on the dwarves sorrow. I looked over at Kili, who looked down at me. I gave him a small smile, before standing up to leave. He had smiled back.

I went to my room and got ready for bed. It felt odd knowing that the dwarves were in the other room. Yet, it was strangely comforting and I felt very safe.

I tried to sleep, but my mind would not let me. It kept wandering to Fili and Kili. They were both very attractive, but different. Fili was very youthful and light hearted. Kili was kind-hearted and also youthful, but way more intense than Fili. Just by watching and listening to him at dinner, I could tell he was a bit reckless. He was so loyal to his brother and uncle, I could tell he would do anything for them. Loyalty was an attractive quality...

_Stop it! Kili is a dwarf, you are a human. He is also a fictional character. _

This did nothing because I had already accepted this world as reality.

Eventually I must have drifted off to sleep because when I opened my eyes, it was light out. I got up and stretched. It was much earlier than I usually got up, but I wasn't about to go back to sleep today!

I quietly walked into hallway and peered into the living room. The dwarves were on the sofa, chairs, and even on the floor, sound asleep. Gandalf was awake, however, and he nodded to me as he smoked his pipe. I smiled back and turned around to go outside.

I sat down on the old bench in front of Bag End and buried my bare feet into the thick, green grass. I loved it here. The Shire was beautiful and comfortable and the hobbits were all so kind and loving. I was really going to miss it. Gandalf had made it clear that I was an important part of this quest. I wasn't sure how I could be of any use to the dwarves, but I was going to give it my all. I was scared to leave the Shire. I had no idea if I would ever come back. My future was a gaping, black hole, I did not know what to expect.

The sound of heavy footsteps snapped me out of my thoughts.

Kili was walking towards me, a bow in his hands.

"Nice look," he smirked when he reached the gate.

I realized I was still wearing my loose, white nightgown and my hair was in a braid, mussed up from sleeping. I tried not to blush.

"What were you doing?" I asked, ignoring his comment.

"I couldn't sleep so I went out to get some target practice. This place is so..._green_." said Kili coming through the gate to sit down next to me. I was painfully aware of my disheveled appearance.

"What's wrong with green?" I asked, feeling the need to defend the Shire. "I think it's rather nice here."

"Oh, it's nice, but where I come from there isn't really any green at all. Just stone."

"In my old world there wasn't much green left, either," I said sadly. "I like the Shire a lot better."

"Do you miss your old world at all?" Kili asked, looking down to me.

"It's not my old world that I miss," I replied. "But my family and friends."

"How long have you been here with Bilbo?"

"About a month. He has been a great friend to me."

"I wish Bilbo would come with us. We need him," said Kili, staring straight ahead.

"You never know...he might change his mind."

Kili smiled at me. We sat there in comfortable silence. Eventually I said,

"We should probably go back inside. The others will be waking up soon."

Kili sighed.

"Yeah, you're probably right."

He stood up and offered me his hand. I took it, even though I didn't need help to get off the bench. He also held the round door open for me. Guys in my old world could learn a thing or two from Kili.

When we walked in, I saw all the dwarves awake and eating breakfast at the table. They had all looked up as we entered. I felt more than a little uncomfortable in my nightgown.

"Good morning," said Fili waving to us.

"Morning," I said, shyly.

"Ahh, Miss Libby and Mr. Kili," said Gandalf, his eyes twinkling. "I made breakfast, would you two care to join us?"

"I'm just going to get changed first..." I said, blushing up to my hairline.

"I'm sure Kili will save you a seat," said Fili. The dwarves laughed.

I quickly went to my room. I put on a pastel green dress and combed through my hair.

When I went back into the kitchen, Kili had indeed left a seat open next to him. He grinned at me as I sat down.

After breakfast, the dwarves helped clean up and then they packed up to leave.

"I am not going to say goodbye because I know we will see each other shortly," said Gandalf, bending down to be at my eye level. He squeezed my shoulder. "Help Bilbo."

He went outside, where he could stand up fully without hitting his head on the ceiling.

"I want to thank you...and the hobbit for your hospitality," said Thorin bowing his head.

"It was our pleasure, your majesty," I replied, giving him a shy smile.

And Thorin Oakenshield smiled back.

Each dwarf either said or nodded in farewell as they filed out the door. Bofur and Fili both kissed my hand. Then it was just me and Kili.

"I wish I had more time to spend with you, Miss Libby."

My heart leapt.

"You never know," I said, wanting to make him laugh. "Maybe I'll follow you."

Kili did laugh. Then he leaned forward and kissed my cheek, which turned pink.

"Hopefully we will meet again one day."

"Yes," I breathed. "Hopefully."

Then he was gone.

Feeling down, I went back to my room.

On my bed was a package. I quickly opened the envelope that was sitting on top.

_Dearest Libby,_

_ You may find these helpful._

_ Gandalf the Grey Wizard_

With excitement, I ripped open the package. Inside was a pair of black pants, a dark purple tunic, and a pair of thick, black boots.

I smiled to myself. I knew what I had to do now.

* * *

**Author's note:**

** The poem I used was written by J.R.R Tolkien. I only used three of the verses. It is quite a long poem, but it really captures how the dwarves feel about taking back Erebor. I love the tune of the song "Misty Mountains" that was in "The Hobbit: The Unexpected Journey", but I don't think they picked the best verses of the poem to use. **

** Thanks for reading! Please leave a review of what you think of the story so far. We will finally be leaving Bag End next chapter and Libby and Kili will be getting even closer. Yay! **

** See you soon,**

** -Fantasydreamer44 **


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

I was buttoning up one of Bilbo's coats when Bilbo finally stuck his head out of his room.

"Are-are we alone?"

"Yes, Gandalf and the dwarves just left."

"Good," said Bilbo, sighing in relief. Then his eyes took in my appearance. "What are you wearing?"

"Gandalf left me these. I mean, wearing a dress on an adventure would be a bit impractical, don't you think? Oh, and do you mind if I borrow this coat?"

"What? No! You are not going with them! I told you no adventures."

"Yes, I am going. I'm not going to pass up the chance to go on a once-in-a-lifetime adventure. Besides, the dwarves still need a burglar. I may not be the most graceful or sneakiest person, but I'll do what I can to help."

"Libby...don't do this..."

"Oh, come on, Bilbo!" I cried, throwing my hands in the air. "Let your Took side take over for once. This is the chance to experience the world. Not just through books, but for real!"

"Well..." said Bilbo, looking at the contract that had been left on the table. "I would have to pack."

"Already taken care of," I said, pointing to the two packed bags sitting near the door.

"Okay then...I'll go!" said Bilbo.

"Yay!" I ran over and hugged Bilbo and kissed him on the cheek.

Bilbo laughed and he went to his room to quickly get dressed.

I finished buttoning up Bilbo's brown coat and once Bilbo was dressed, we both grabbed a bag and ran out the door.

We sprinted through the Shire, trying to catch up with the company. Many of the hobbits watched us with disdain.

"Where are you off to?" asked a worried hobbit as we ran by.

"We're going on an adventure!" Bilbo yelled back. I laughed.

Finally after running through the Shire, we saw the dwarves and Gandalf.

"Wait, wait!" Bilbo called.

The dwarves halted their ponies and turned to look at us.

"We signed it," said Bilbo, handing the contract to Balin.

Balin examined our signatures.

"Everything appears to be in order. Welcome, Master Baggins, to the company of Thorin Oakenshield," Balin said, smiling.

The dwarves cheered.

"Wait," said Thorin, looking even more intimidating when he was glaring down at us from a pony. "What about the girl?"

"She obviously isn't coming along with us," said Dori.

"I _am_ coming with you," I spoke up, trying to fight back the shyness that was threatening to take over."

Some of the dwarves began to protest.

Gandalf gave me an encouraging look.

"Please!" I said loudly, looking directly at Thorin. "I was sent to Middle Earth because I _asked _for an adventure. I don't know how yet, but I know I was meant to go on this journey. I won't be a bother, I promise. And I'll help in any way I can and-"

"Very well then," Thorin cut me off, stiffly. "The girl can come. Get them ponies."

"We only have one extra pony," someone called out.

"Pony?" asked Bilbo, nervously. "No, no. Libby can have it. I'll just walk."

I felt my feet leave the ground and next thing I knew I was sitting on a chestnut-colored pony. A pair of strong hands gripped my waist.

"You can ride with me," said Kili in my ear.

My face felt like it was on fire and my insides felt like goo.

Bilbo was picked up and plopped onto the pack pony.

"Well, Miss Libby," said Kili and I could hear the smile in his voice. " I didn't actually think you were going to follow me. You must have missed me."

"I came for Bilbo," I said, although my face was still red, so it wasn't very believable.

"Of course you did," Kili laughed.

The dwarves began to toss sacks of coins to one another.

"What's that about?" asked Bilbo.

"Oh, they took wages on whether or not you'd turn up. Most of them bet you wouldn't," explained Gandalf.

I saw a bag fly by my head and heard Kili catch it.

"You thought we'd come?" I asked.

"I thought _Bilbo _would come. You surprised me, love."

Bilbo sneezed loudly and began searching his pockets for something.

"Wait! Stop! Stop! We have to turn around," he declared, loudly.

"What is the matter?" asked Gandalf.

"I forgot my handkerchief."

_Oh, Bilbo..._

"Here," said Bofur, ripping off a piece of his shirt (who knew how long it had been since it was last washed) and throwing it to Bilbo. "Use this."

The dwarves laughed and once again I felt bad for Bilbo.

Kili wanted to know all about my life before I came here. I tried to explain high school and how most people my age went on to college. I also tried to explain about working in retail, but he wasn't understanding it. Fili was apparently listening in on our conversation because he said,

"Why did you have to work? Didn't your father or brothers work?"

"In my world, women could support themselves," I said. "And besides, I couldn't stay with my parents forever. Eventually I would have to live on my own and support myself. I was just the way it worked."

"Wouldn't you just stay with your parents until you got married?" Fili pressed on.

"Not necessarily. Most women and men move out on their own before they get married. That is why I sold baby clothes. So I could make money so I could move out one day."

"Do you enjoy selling clothing?" asked Bofur, joining in on the conversation as well.

"No way!" I said. "But a job was hard to come by and I had to take whatever I could get. And I liked seeing the babies and kids that came into the store, but it wasn't what I really wanted to be doing."

"What do you want to do then?" asked Kili.

"Oh, well..."

"Libby wants to sing," interjected Bilbo.

"Sing? Anyone can sing," said Bofur.

"People could make a lot money by singing in my old world. But it was very difficult to. I love to sing and it would be my ideal career."

"Are you any good?" asked Fili.

"I guess so..."

"She is amazing!" exclaimed Bilbo. "She used to perform all the time for the hobbits. She has the most beautiful voice I've ever heard and she is quite the little performer!"

"Well then," said Bofur. "Let's hear something."

I felt my face grow warm from being put on the spot.

"Maybe later..." I mumbled, feeling shy.

We rode for the entire day. We chatted a little bit more, but mostly rode in silence. By the end of the day I was extremely bored. I leaned back against Kili and sighed. He chuckled, his breath moving my hair.

"We will stop here for the night," said Thorin, finally slowing to a stop.

We had stopped on a cliff overlooking the fields and plains we had just ridden over. Kili slid gracefully off his pony and held his arms out for me. I swung my leg over and fell ungracefully into his arms.

The dwarves hurried around, tying up the ponies, gathering firewood, and setting up camp. Bilbo and I stood awkwardly off to the side, unsure what to do.

"Girl!" barked Thorin. "Go help Bomber with the stew."

I internally panicked for a moment.

"You don't want Libby to help with that," laughed Bilbo.

"Why not?" asked Kili. Both he and Fili had stopped in their tracks.

"Yes, why not, hobbit?" demanded Thorin.

I shook my head at Bilbo, but he was ignorant of it.

"She can't cook," he chuckled as he went over to help Bomber himself.

_Thanks a lot, Bilbo._

"You can help serve it then," Thorin grumbled. "Don't know what kind of maiden can't cook."

"Don't let Uncle get you down," said Fili kindly as Thorin walked off.

"Yeah," agreed Kili. "He is always grumpy. It's nothing personal. So you really can't cook?"

I shook my head.

"I always end up setting something on fire!"

I was going to mention the time I accidentally set my microwave on fire while making popcorn, but I realized they wouldn't know what a microwave was...or popcorn.

Once the stew was ready, I passed it out to everyone in wooded bowls the dwarves had brought. Bomber handed me a bowl after everyone else was served.

I sat down next to Bilbo. This had been a strange day for both of us. He squeezed my hand and I smiled back at him. I really did love Bilbo. He was so much more than I remembered him to be in the book Even if this journey ended badly, I was glad to have made such a dear friend.

"Well, Miss Libby," said Bofur, pulling me out of my thoughts. "I believe you still owe us a song."

"Yeah, go on then, love. Don't be shy," smirked Kili from across the fire.

"Alright, I will," I said, swallowing my nervousness.

_What to sing to a bunch of dwarves, a wizard, and a hobbit? Better stick to something that sounds familiar to them...something Medieval sounding._

So I went with "Scarborough Fair", one of my favorite songs.

_Are you going to Scarborough fair?  
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme.  
Remember me to one who lives there,  
He was once a true love of mine._

_Tell him to make me a cambric shirt.  
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme.  
Without no seam nor needlework,  
Then he'll be a true love of mine._

Tell him to find me an acre of land.  
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme.  
Between the salt water and the sea strand,  
Then he'll be a true love of mine.

_Tell him to reap it with a sickle of leather._

_Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme._

_And gather it all in a bunch of Heather,_

_Then he'll be a true love of mine._

Are you going to Scarborough fair?  
Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme.  
Remember me to one who lives there,  
He was once a true love of mine.

I made sure to hold out the last note for dramatic effect. Once I stopped singing, it was silent except for the soft crackling of the fire. Then Bofur clapped.

"That is quite a voice you've got there, lassie!"

The other dwarves nodded in agreement and gave compliments.

I blushed with pleasure.

Later that night, when most of the dwarves had laid down to sleep, I sat next to Kili and Fili near the fire. There was no way sleep would come easily that night. Gandalf, Thorin, and Balin were awake as well, but each sat on their own, lost in their thoughts.

"You know, you do have the best singing voice I've ever heard," said Kili, softly. "And dwarves love to sing, so I've heard many voices."

"Thank you."

"Did your family sing as well as you do?" he asked me.

I laughed.

"No way! My mom was okay, but my dad sounded horrible! But he thought he was good."

"What were they like?"

"My parents were great. My dad and I were a lot alike. We were very close. I bet he would love to be in my place right now!" I secretly laughed. My dad was a huge Tolkien fan and he knew practically everything about all of Tolkien's stories. "I also had a little brother. He was...annoying-"

"I know what you mean!" said Fili, punching Kili's shoulder, playfully.

"But I loved him," I said, giggling. "Oh, why do you want to hear about my life anyway? It must be so boring compared to yours. I mean, you're princes!"

"Yeah?" said Kili and Fili together.

"We didn't really have a lot of royalty where I'm from. It must be fascinating! I would give anything to be a princess," My thoughts turned to the Disney movies I had loved so much. Ever since I was a little girl I had dreamed of being a princess.

Kili was looking at me, a playful glint in his eye. I couldn't help but feel a bit nervous as we continued to keep eye contact, but I couldn't look away. A screech in the distance was the only thing that broke our stare.

"What was that?" asked Bilbo, hurrying over to us. I hadn't even noticed that he had gotten up.

"Orcs," said Kili, darkly.

There was another screech. I grabbed Kili's arm.

"Orcs?" asked Bilbo, confused.

"Throat-cutters," said Fili. "There'll be dozens of them out there. The lowlands are crawling with them."

"They strike in the small hours, when everyone is asleep. Quick and quiet; no screams, just a lot of blood," Kili continued, dramatically.

I tightened my hold on Kili's arm. Bilbo looked as terrified as I felt. Kili and Fili shared a glance and laughed.

I let go of Kili's arm, embarrassed. They had gotten exactly the reaction they wanted out of Bilbo and me. I opened my mouth to scold them, but Thorin beat me to it.

"You think that is funny?" he walked over to where we were sitting. "You think a night raid by Orcs is a joke?"

"We didn't mean anything by it," said Kili, looking ashamed.

"No, you didn't. You know nothing of the world."

Thorin marched over to the edge of the cliff, his back to us. Fili and Kili looked so sad, that despite being annoyed with them, I felt sorry for them.

"Don't mind him, lads," said Balin, walking over. "Thorin has more cause than most to hate Orcs."

"Why's that?" I asked, shyly.

"After the dragon took the Lonely Mountain, King Thror- Thorin's grandfather- tried to reclaim the ancient dwarf kingdom of Moria. But our enemy had gotten there first."

Balin went on to tell us about the Battle of Azanulbizar; how Azog, the pale Orc, beheaded Thror, Thorin's father went missing, and how Thorin fought Azog with nothing to defend himself but an oaken branch. Thorin eventually cut off Azog's arm with a sword lying nearby. Thorin had rallied their forces and drove the Orcs back. But the amount of dwarves that had been killed far surpassed the living.

"And I thought to myself then," said Balin, looking to Thorin with bright eyes. "There is one who I could follow. There is one I could call King."

Thorin turned to face us, his eyes shining with unshed tears. Everyone was awake now and watching Thorin with awe. They had all heard the story before, but never in the presence of Thorin. He walked back to Kili, Fili, Bilbo, and I.

"But the pale Orc," asked Bilbo. "What happened to him?"

"He slunk back into the hole whence he came. That filth died of his wounds long ago." spoke Thorin, harshly. Then he sighed. "Everyone should get some sleep. We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."

And being the over-sensitive and sympathetic girl that I was, I felt my heart ache for Thorin. No one should have to go through what he did.

I wrapped my blanket around my shoulders, but sat up with Kili and Fili. I watched Kili, who was staring into the fire, lost in thought. He resembled Thorin a lot more than Fili did and I could tell he looked up to him. Both Kili and Fili admired him. Kili looked down to me and smiled.

"Aren't you tired?" he asked.

"I can't sleep now that I know what's out there!"

"Don't worry," said Fili, chuckling softly. "We'll protect you from any Orcs, won't we Kili?

"Yeah," mumbled Kili, looking into my eyes once more. "I'll keep you safe."

I wrapped my blanket tighter around me and closed my eyes. I stayed sitting up, leaning back against the rocks behind me. Soon I was drifting off to sleep. I'm pretty sure I leaned over to rest against Kili's shoulder, but I was too tired to care or move. I fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

** The song "Scarborough Fair" is one of my favorite songs of all time and I recomend that you listen to it. It is truely beautiful! The two versions I love are the ones by the Celtic Woman and by Simon and Garfunkle. I pictured Libby singing the one by the Celtic Woman in this chapter. **

** Thanks so much for reading! I will love you forever if you leave a review! See you later!**

** ~Fantasydreamer44**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7:

The first thing that woke me up was the cold. I shivered and pulled the blanket up around my shoulders. The second thing that woke me up, was how uncomfortable I was. There was light that was blindingly bright- even with my eyes shut- and my back was aching.

I opened my eyes and it took me a moment to remember why I wasn't in my bed at Bag End.

_Oh yeah. I'm on a quest._

I was lying next to last night's fire-which was now put out. Someone had given me another blanket, which I had been using as a pillow.

I sat up. Everyone else was already awake and moving about, preparing to leave.

"Well, well," smiled Bofur as he walked past. "Look who's finally awake. I told Bomber to save you some food, but you never know with him."

I stood up slowly; my whole body ached from sleeping on the ground. I rolled up my blanket and put it in my bag. I rolled up the other blanket as well. I had a guess to whom it belonged. I made my way over to Bomber. He gave me a warm smile as I approached.

"Morning, Miss Libby," he said, cheerfully as he handed me a chunk of bread.

I smiled as nicely as I could and went to sit next to Bilbo.

"Does your back ache as much as mine?" he asked.

I nodded and took a bite of bread.

"Sleep well, love?" came a voice I instantly recognized.

"Oh, yeah," I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "Great."

"Ooo," said Fili, coming out of nowhere to stand next to Kili. "Someone's not a morning person."

I just shrugged.

"Better get used to it though," grinned Kili. "There's going to be plenty more early mornings."

I glared at him.

The brothers went off, laughing. Kili made sure to stop and pick up his blanket where I had left it, looking back and winking at me.

I watched him walk around camp, packing up and joking around with Fili and the others. I felt Bilbo looking at me.

"What?" I asked.

"You fancy him."

"_Fancy _him? No, no...I don't fancy Kili..."

Bilbo raised his eye brows.

"Funny, I didn't specify if I meant Fili or Kili."

I felt my face grow warm. He had gotten me.

"Well...maybe I do.. _fancy _Kili...just a little bit..."

Bilbo laughed and I nudged him with my elbow. I couldn't help but smile.

After we finished eating, I packed my bag onto Bilbo's pony and went over to Kili and his pony.

"Do you want to ride with me again?" he asked.

I shrugged.

"If I have to," I smiled to let him know I was kidding.

He grinned back at me.

"Alright then," he said, still smiling. He bent down and held out his hands. "You get on first."

After a minute of struggling, I was finally sitting atop the pony. Kili leapt up gracefully behind me. With one hand on the reins, the other on my waist, we began to move.

"I wish I knew how to ride on my own," I said after a while,

"I am sorry riding with me is that bad."

"No, no! That's not what I meant!" I said quickly.

I felt his chuckle against my hair.

"What I meant was that it would be useful to know how to ride on my own," I clarified.

"It's very easy," he said.

He took my hands in his and we held the reins together.

"To go right, you pull on the right side," we pulled the reins to the right. "To go left, you pull to the left. And to go faster..."

Kili kicked his pony's side lightly and we raced forwards. I squealed and gripped Kili's hands tightly. He laughed, slowing us down again.

"Kili, stop fooling around," barked Thorin.

"You are always getting yourself into trouble," I scolded.

"Oh, come on. I was just having a little fun. You need to loosen up, love,"

_ And you need to grow up. _

As we rode on, I was once again all too aware of Kili's body so close to mine. I felt the urge to shy away from him. I was uncomfortable in my body; it wasn't good enough for him. I was too fat, too out of shape.

I must of looked worried, because Bilbo sent a concerned look my way. I just shook my head.

The sky grew darker and grayer until finally it opened up and poured rain down on us. I pulled my hood up.

After half an hour or so, I was soaked to the bone and freezing cold. I leaned back into Kili, far too cold to care about my body for the moment. Kili held me closer, no doubt he could feel my shaking.

"Mr. Gandalf, can't you do something about this deluge?" called out Dori.

"It is raining, Master dwarf," spoke Gandalf, calmly. "And it will continued to rain until it is done. If you wish to change the weather of the world, you should find yourself another wizard."

"Are there any?" asked Bilbo.

I knew the answer to that, but my teeth were chattering so much, I couldn't speak.

"There are five of us," said Gandalf. "The greatest of out order is Saruman, the White."

_Saruman is bad! _

I wanted to warn Gandalf of Saruman, but I didn't know how to tell him without revealing that I read about it in a book.

"Then there are the two Blue Wizards; you know, I've quite forgotten their names," continued Gandalf.

"And who is the fifth?" Bilbo pressed.

"Well that would be Radagast the Brown."

"Is he a great wizard...or is he more like you?"

Gandalf looked offended and I didn't blame him.

"I think he is a very great wizard. He's a gentle soul who prefers the company of animals to others. He keeps a watchful eye over the vast forest lands to the East, and a good thing too, for always Evil will look to find a foothold in this world."

After another hour, the rain began to let up and then stopped all together. We came to an old, abandoned farm house in ruins.

Thorin halted us.

"We'll camp here for the night. Fili, Kili, look after the ponies. Make sure you stay with them."

"A farmer and his family used to live here..." said Gandalf.

"Oin, Gloin, get a fire going," Thorin continued to bark orders.

Kili helped me down from his pony.

"You should probably be getting out of those wet clothes."

His eyes trailed down to my body, then back up to my face.

"You wouldn't want to catch a cold," he smirked at my blush.

He went off with Fili to gather up all of the ponies and I went over to where Bilbo was. He was watching Gandalf and Thorin, who were arguing. Suddenly, Gandalf stomped off.

"Gandalf, where are you going?" asked Bilbo.

"To seek the company of the only one around here who has any sense."

"Who's that?"

"Myself, Mr. Baggins! I've had quite enough dwarves for one day."

Gandalf vanished, leaving Bilbo and I standing in shocked silence.

**Author's Note:**

** Sorry this chapter is sort of a filler, but Kili and Libby get to interact somemore, which I like. I promise the action will start in the next chapter!**

** Also, I want to thank everyone who has favorited, followed, or left a review for this story. It means a lot to me! **

** Please leave a review and I will see you next time **

**~Fantasydreamer44**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8:

The dwarves began to set up camp. They had all taken off their thick coats and hung them to dry on the remaining structure of the farm house. Since their coats were so thick, their clothes underneath were completely dry. Bilbo and I, however, were not so lucky. I had to hang up everything, save my pants and my undershirt. Thankfully all of the dwarves averted their eyes respectfully, but I was glad Kili was not there at the moment. I don't think I would have been able to handle it.

Bilbo and I wrapped ourselves in blankets and sat by the fire, trying to get warm while we waited for our clothes to dry.

"What was wrong earlier today? You made a face," said Bilbo.

"Oh..." I mumbled, uncomfortably. "It was nothing.."

"Come on, Libby. I know you. Something is troubling you."

"Well...it's just...I really like Kili, but he's so...good-looking and I'm so ugly and fat-"

"Libby, cut it out!" Bilbo said loudly. Several of the dwarves looked over at us. Bilbo waved their curious glances away. He leaned closer and said quietly, "Libby, you are the most beautiful girl I've ever met-inside and out. Don't say such things about yourself. I'm sure Kili thinks the same thing as I do. And besides, he is a dwarf. Do you really think he cares about looks?"

"Bilbo, you don't understand. In my old world, I wasn't considered beautiful. There was a certain way you had to look, and I could never look like it," I tried to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall, but failed.

"Well, then it's a good thing you came to this world," Bilbo said gently, wiping away my tears. "Believe me when I tell you that you are beautiful and kind and caring and talented. Anyone would be lucky to win your heart."

I smiled through my tears.

"Thank you, Bilbo," I kissed his cheek. "I've never had a friend as good as you before."

"You're making me blush," Bilbo laughed. "Now let's go see if our clothes have dried, I'm freezing!"

As the sun went down, Bomber began to make supper.

"He's been a long time," Bilbo said to no one in particular.

"Who?" asked Bofur, handing out bowls of soup.

"Gandalf."

"He's a wizard," replied Bofur. "He does as he chooses. Here, do us a favor and take these to the lads."

"I'll do it!" I blurted out and jumping up of the ground.

Some of the dwarves snickered.

"Alright, you both can carry a bowl then," said Bofur, his eyes twinkling.

Bilbo and I made our way into the trees and over to the horses. Kili and Fili were staring at the horses and barely acknowledged us.

"What's the matter?" asked Bilbo.

"We've encountered a slight problem," said Fili.

"We had fifteen horses," said Kili.

"And now there's thirteen," finished Fili.

We all stared at the horses.

"Well that's not good," began Bilbo. "That's not good at all. Shouldn't we tell Thorin?"

"Uh, no. Let's not worry him," said Fili, hastily. "As our official burglar, we thought you might like to take a look into it."

I followed Bilbo's gaze to some uprooted trees.

"Well...uh...look, something big must have uprooted these trees..." said Bilbo, nervously.

"That's what we were thinking," said Kili

"Something very big and possibly quite dangerous," Bilbo was getting more and more nervous and so was I.

"Hey!" said Fili, suddenly, making me jump. "There's a light over there! Stay down."

We ran as quietly as possible closer to the light and then we ducked down behind a log. I could see that the light was coming from a fire and I could hear harsh laughter ringing in the air.

"What is it?" I whispered.

"Trolls," Kili breathed back.

Kili and Fili took off, darting closer to the trolls. Bilbo and I started to follow, but Bilbo turned back.

"Bilbo," I hissed. "What are you doing?"

He grabbed the bowls of soup.

_ Of course._

We hurried over to Kili and Fili. Out of nowhere, a giant foot came crashing down. Kili pulled me to his chest and out of the way of being stepped on. The giant foot was attached to a thick, leathery leg, which was attached to what I could only guess, was a troll. The hideous creature was holding a pony under each arm.

"He's got Myrtle and Minty! I think they're going to eat them! We have to do something," said Bilbo.

"Yes; you should. Mountain Trolls are slow and stupid, and you are so small..." began Kili.

"No!" I protested for Bilbo's sake.

"They'll never see you," continued Kili, ignoring me.

"No. No. No," I said, shaking my head.

"It's perfectly safe. We'll be right behind you," concluded Kili.

"If you run into trouble, hoot twice like a barn owl, once like a brown owl," said Fili, taking the soup from Bilbo and pushing him towards the trolls.

Kili grabbed my arm and pulled me back into the trees.

"Where are we going?" I asked, incredulously.

"We should probably get help now...just incase Bilbo runs into trouble," said Kili. "And Thorin would probably want you to stay at the camp."

"You can't just leave him there all by himself with those..._things_! He doesn't know how to fight like you guys."

"He'll be fine," said Fili.

Kili kept pulling me along. I tried to twist my wrist out of his hand.

"No!" I said, firmly, finally yanking my wrist out of his grasp. "I won't leave Bilbo!"

I ran to the trolls, ignoring Kili's and Fili's shouts behind me. I found Bilbo crouching down near the ponies.

"What are you doing here?" he whispered, furiously. "Get back to Fili and Kili."

"No, I'm not going to leave you."

We stopped talking as one of the trolls said in a high-pitch voice.

"I don't like horse. Never have. Not enough fat on them."

"It's better than that leathery, old farmer. All skin and bones, he was. I'm still pickin bits of him out of my teeth," said another troll, this one had a deeper voice.

I was beginning to feel sick. They ate the farmer who used to live in the farmhouse we were using as a shelter...

The first troll with the high-pitch voice, sneezed into a pot the trolls had over the fire.

"Oh that's lovely, that is...a floater," said the second troll.

"Might improve the flavor," spoke the third troll for the first time.

"There's more where that came from!"

I was really feeling sick now. These trolls were vile.

Bilbo was trying to untie the rope that was keeping the ponies tied up. I helped him and tried to ignore what the trolls were saying.

"I hope you're gonna gut these horses. I don't like the stinky parts."

_Oh, yuck, yuck, yuck!_

Bilbo and I were getting nowhere with the ropes.

"Look," said Bilbo, pointing over to the first troll. "He has a knife."

"It's too dangerous."

"I'll just sneak up behind him and grab it. He won't even see me," Bilbo sounded like he was trying to convince himself. "Here I go."

Bilbo crept over to the troll, he tried a couple times to reach the knife, but couldn't. I almost fainted with fear when one of the trolls cried out.

"My guts are grumblin. I've gotta eat somethin. Flesh, I need flesh!"

The high-pitched troll began to sneeze again and reached back to grab his handkerchief but grabbed a terrified Bilbo instead.

"Bilbo!" I reached out to him, but there was nothing I could do to stop it.

The troll sneezed right onto Bilbo, leaving him covered in troll snot.

I gagged.

"Blimey!" it cried out in shock. "Look what's come out of my hooter! It's got arms and legs and everything!"

The two other trolls leaned in to look.

"What is it?"

"I dunno, but I don't like the way it wriggles around!"

Bilbo was dropped on the ground. It took all my self control not to run to him.

"What are you then?" the trolls demanded.

"I'm a burglar-" Bilbo stopped. "Uhh...hobbit."

"A burgla-hobbit?"

"Can we cook him?"

"We can try!"

Bilbo ducked out of the way of the trolls hand. I screamed. I wanted to help him, but I had no idea how. But Bilbo was handing it well on his own at the moment; he was too fast for the trolls to catch. Then, one of them caught him and held him up by his legs.

"No!" I gasped.

"Gotcha!" the troll said, triumphantly. "Anymore of you little fellas hiding where you shouldn't?"

"Nope," lied Bilbo.

"He's lying!"

"No, I'm not!"

Suddenly, I felt a large hand grab me by the middle and hold me up. I screamed as a large, ugly troll face loomed in front of me, his grip crushing my ribs.

"A maiden!" squeaked the first troll. "Oh, how I love a good maiden!"

"Yeah, they're fattier than the men. And sweeter!"

"This one's tiny though. Only good for a bite."

_They're going to eat me! I'm going to die by being eaten by these disgusting monsters._

My heart was pounding in fear.

"Hey!" came a voice that made my heart pound for a different reason.

Kili came running out of the bushes, slicing the first troll's leg, causing it to fall.

"Drop her!" he yelled to the troll holding me. He brandished his sword.

Even at a moment like this, I couldn't help but swoon a little at Kili's bravery.

"You what?" asked the troll.

"I said, _drop her_."

"Okay."

The troll threw me at Kili.

Kili threw his sword to the side and held out his arms to catch me. We both fell to the ground, but Kili's arms were around me, protecting me. I sat up, painfully as the rest of the company came charging out of the trees to fight the trolls.

"Are you alright?" he asked, arms still around me.

I nodded, but grimaced with pain as I stood up.

"Go back into the woods where you'll be safe," he told me before running into the fight.

I started making my way towards the trees. My breath coming in short gasps. I glanced back and the sight that met my eyes made me scream.

Two of the trolls were holding Bilbo up by the arms.

Kili's eyes found mine, immediately. Once he saw what I was looking at, he cried out as well.

"Bilbo!"

"No!" yelled Thorin, angrily.

"Lay down your arms," growled the trolls. "Or we'll rip his off!"

Thorin looked angrier than I had ever seen him before, but he stabbed him sword into the ground. The other dwarves followed suit.

"Alright," said one of the trolls, happily. "Who wants to be eaten first?"

Kili looked at me with urgency and mouthed "Go!"

**Author's note: Dun Dun Dun! Cliff hanger :)**

**I hope you liked this chapter and I'm planning on updating really soon, because I'm on a roll with writing right now! But unfortunatly I had to stop here for today, because I have to go to work (boring!). **

**I also hope that the way I am writing Libby is coming off okay. She has some self-esteem issues. I have a lot of experience with that personally, so I am trying to write it as real as I can, without it being the main focus of the stroy. She comes from our world, where the standards of beauty are pretty messed up and it has affected the way she thinks about herself. This topic hits home for me, so I wanted to incorperate it into the story. **

**I hope you all are having a wonderful Valentine's Day...I'm still waiting for my Kili to come! I'll see you very soon with an update! Love you!**

**~Fantasydreamer44 **


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9:

I made my way into the woods as fast as I could. Each breath was painful; my ribs had to be broken. But I kept going. I was just hoping to run into Gandalf and he would know how to save everyone.

A large hand grabbed me around the middle once again. I cried out. Never in my life had I felt so much pain.

"Where do you think you're going?" asked the troll holding me. "You're dessert."

With tears flowing down my face, I was shoved into a sack and thrown into the pile of dwarves already in sacks. I landed not too far from Kili.

"Libby!" he whispered, urgently. He rolled over to me. "What's wrong? Where did they hurt you?"

"My...ribs," I choked out, trying desperately to breathe.

"Don't worry. We'll get out of here and fix it.." said Kili, giving a worried glance to Thorin, who looked grim.

Some of the dwarves were already on a spit over the fire.

I was sobbing, I couldn't help it. We were all going to die and be eaten by trolls!

"Don't bother cookin them," said one of the trolls. "Let's just sit on them and squash them into jelly."

"They should be sautéed and grilled with a sprinkle of sage," interjected one of the other trolls.

"That does sound quite nice."

I couldn't breathe- not only because of my ribs, but also because I was terrified. Kili leaned over me, slightly.

"They aren't going to get you," he said, sounding so sure that we were going to be okay.

"Never mind the seasoning," grunted the third troll, sounding irritated. "We ain't got all night. Dawn ain't far away and I don't fancy being turned into stone!"

"Wait!" came Bilbo's voice. "You are making a terrible mistake."

I looked up past Kili and saw that Bilbo had managed to stand up in his sack and hop over to the trolls.

"You can't reason with them, they're half wits," said Dori from the spit over the fire.

"Half wits? What does that make us?" asked Bofur, of course he was trying to lighten up a situation even this bad.

"Uh, I meant about the...about the... seasoning," said Bilbo.

I could tell by his tone that he was making it up.

_ What is he doing?_

"What about the seasoning?" asked one of the trolls.

"Well...have you smelt them? You're going to need something a lot stronger than sage before you can eat this lot."

There was a chorus of "Traitor!" coming from the dwarves.

"What do you know about cooking dwarf?"

"Shut up and let the flurgaburburrahobbit talk."

"The secret to cooking dwarf is...um," said Bilbo, looking around, desperatly.

"Yes? Come on," said one of the trolls, leaning down to hear.

"It's, um..."

"Tell us the secret!" demanded the troll.

"Yes, yes, I'm telling you. The secret is... to... skin them first!"

"Tom, get me the filleting knife," said the troll to one of the others.

There were angry shouts from the dwarves.

"What a load of rubbish!" said one of the other trolls. "I've eaten plenty of dwarves with their skins on. Scuff them, I say, boots and all."

"He's right! Nothing wrong with a bit of raw dwarf. Nice and crunchy!" said the dwarf with the high voice.

He leaned down to us. Kili rolled completely on top of me, shielding me from the troll. He grabbed Bombur and held him upside down over his mouth.

"Not that one!" cried Bilbo. "He's infected!"

"You what?" asked a troll.

"Yeah. He's got worms in his...tubes.."

The troll quickly dropped Bombur back into our pile. I was so thankful that Kili was still over me, because if Bombur had landed on me, I would have been squished.

"In-in fact, they all have; they're infested with parasites. It's a terrible business; I wouldn't risk it, I really wouldn't.

All at once, the dwarves began to protest.

"Parasites? Did he say parasites?"

"What are you talking about, laddie?"

Even Kili cried out, "We don't have parasites!"

"Kili!" I gasped.

He looked down at me.

"Shut...Up.." I managed to get out.

Unlike the dwarves, I had caught on to Bilbo's plan to stall for time.

Thorin finally caught on as well, because he gave the others a sharp kick and a meaningful look. Once the others understood, they began protesting differently.

"I've got parasites as big as my arm!"

"Libby's parasites are the biggest, you don't want to eat her!" Kili threw in for my benefit. "And mine are huge."

"We're riddled."

"Yes, riddled with parasites!"

"What would you have us do, then?" asked one of the trolls. "Let them all go?"

"Well..." said Bilbo, pretending to think about it.

"You think I don't know what you're up to?" asked the troll, prodding Bilbo in the chest. Bilbo stumbled backwards. "This little ferret is taking us for fools!"

"Ferret?" squeaked Bilbo, indignantly.

"Fools?" the other two trolls said in the same tone.

_We are so done for!_

Suddenly, Gandalf appeared on top of a large rock above the little clearing we were in.

"The dawn will take you all!"

"Who's that?" asked a troll.

"No idea."

"Can we eat him too?"

Gandalf brought his tall staff down onto the rock, splitting it in half and letting the early morning sunlight to shine through. The trolls yelled in pain as the light hit their skin. Within seconds, there were three, ugly troll statues. Everyone cheered.

Soon we were all freed. But my vision was beginning to blur from the pain of my ribs. I was standing next to Kili when I collapsed in his arms.

"Gandalf, Bilbo!" he cried out, holding me tightly.

They both rushed over. Bilbo's cool hands were on my forehead.

"What happened?" asked Gandalf.

"The trolls picked her up a few times," said Kili and I could feel the vibrations through his chest as he spoke. "She said her ribs hurt. They must have broken them."

"Help her stand up," said Gandalf, rummaging through his bag.

Kili set me gently on my feet. He kept a firm grip on my shoulders when I began to sway.

Gandalf rolled up my shirt. I was so dazed, that I didn't even care that my un-toned stomach was on display.

"Oh, Libby!" gasped Bilbo at what he saw.

I looked down to see my ribs covered in repulsive looking red and purple bruises. It made me feel even more dizzy.

Gandalf carefully put his hands over my ribs. I winced. He began to recite something under his breath. I felt searing heat rush through me and I cried out.

"What are you doing to her?" asked Kili, angrily.

"This will help her in the long run, Kili," replied Gandalf, simply.

He pulled out a jar from his bag and put some sort of cooling salve on my ribs, then wrapped me in some bandages.

"Thank you," I said weakly, rolling down my shirt.

"Of course, child," said Gandalf, pressing his hand to the top of my head. Then he went off to talk to Thorin.

"She needs to rest," said Bilbo.

Kili picked me up again and walked back to camp. A lot of the dwarves had decided to rest a while longer at our campsite and a few went to go explore the troll's cave.

Kili lowered me down onto my bedroll. I grabbed his hand.

"Thanks for saving me," I said, half awake.

"I'm a prince," he said, grinning. "It's my job to save beautiful maidens. Now get some rest, love."

Within minutes, I was fast asleep.

* * *

I woke up later that day. It must have been lunch time, because the dwarves were eating. I sat up and stretched.

_Wait an minute... I can stretch!_

I stood up. There was no pain!

"I see you're feeling better," said Kili. He was standing not too far off with Fili.

I rolled up my shirt and undid the bandages. There was nothing but a few very faded bruises that looked like they had been there for days.

"Impossible," I muttered to myself.

I suddenly realized that my bare stomach was showing for both dwarves and I hastily pulled my shirt back down, blushing.

"I am glad to see that you are almost healed," said Gandalf walking over.

"Yes, thank you for healing me."

He smiled and held out a sword to me. It was in a soft, leather sheath.

"You might need this in the future. I already found one for Bilbo as well.

I took it from him and pulled the blade out with shaking hands. It was beautiful, but terrifying at the same time.

"Gandalf," I started. "I don't know how to use this...of if I even could."

"You may need to use it whether you are ready to or not. And I believe you will find your courage in due course."

"Yeah right," I said grimly. "I didn't show much courage when it came to those trolls."

Gandalf just smiled. "I have been seeing small glimpses of your courage since you decided to come on this adventure. I can't wait to see you when this is over; I bet you will be a force to reckon with."

I gave a rather un-ladylike snort.

"Okay, I can't wait to see that either. I still don't know how to use this sword though."

"I'll teach you how to do it, love," said Kili coming over and winking at me.

I tried to glare at him, but I ended up laughing.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! Please leave a review and I'll be back soon with an update :)**

**~Fantasydreamer44 **


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10:

"We need to keep moving," Thorin announced.

We packed up camp and prepared to leave. Kili helped me up onto his pony and then jumped up behind me. His arm automatically found its way around my waist and I realized that I was becoming used to his touch. It still gave me butterflies, but it was becoming more familiar.

We rode for hours. When I thought I might die from boredom, I decided to teach Kili how to play twenty questions.

Fili joined in after a few rounds and so did Bilbo. Soon, all of the dwarves were asking questions, apart from a few of the older dwarves. Balin asked a few questions though. Gandalf tried to play as well, but he was too smart and usually guessed the answer right on his third or fourth question. Everyone was laughing, even Thorin cracked a small smile. But then he decided that we were being too loud and made us stop.

"Was that a game you played in your old world?" asked Kili.

"Yes, I used to play it with my family on long trips."

_Oh, how I miss them. I wish they could have been here to play with us._

Finally, after being yelled at once more by Thorin for being too loud- although it really was all Kili's fault-we came to stop for the night. After we got settled in, a few of the dwarves decided to give Bilbo a lesson on how to use his sword properly. I unsheathed my new blade and went over to join them.

"And what do you think you're doing, lassie?" asked Dori as I walked over.

"Learning how to use my sword," I replied, confused.

"This isn't really the appropriate matter for a lady, such as yourself. Why don't you go help with supper."

I stared incredulously at him.

"But Gandalf gave me a sword to protect myself with. I want to know how to use it."

"Battle is no place for a woman," said Dori. "Leave it to the men to do the protecting."

I looked around at Oin and Gloin.

"Go on, then," grunted Gloin.

I gave them all my best death glare before turning around sharply and stomping over to the fire. I stabbed my blade into the dirt, angrily, before sitting down with a huff.

"Whoa. What's got you all fired up?" asked Kili, coming over and sitting down next to me.

"They won't teach me how to use my sword because I am a girl," I said, fuming. "They said fighting practice isn't where a woman belongs. Which is the most ridiculously sexist thing I have ever heard. What, am I not allowed to learn how to protect myself?"

"Don't listen to those old fools," said Kili, leaning over and bumping against me. "Besides, I told you I would teach you how to use your sword. Do you want to help, Fili?"

"Of course," said Fili, who had followed Kili over.

So I went off with Kili and Fili into the woods and to a small clearing.

I pulled my blade out of its sheath and held it, unsurely. Kili nodded in encouragement.

The boys taught me the basics first. How to properly hold the sword, the proper stance, etc. This required Kili coming behind me to position my body correctly, and at first I felt as if I was going to pass out.

_Okay Libby. Focus._

Once I had the basics down, they taught me some simple steps and how to move with my sword. Fili fought against me for practice. I was terrible. I kept tripping over my own feet and my blade was wobbly and unsteady. If I was in a real fight, Fili would have stabbed me at least ten times.

Finally, when the sun was beginning to set, Thorin called for Fili which brought our lesson to an end.

"Not bad for your first time. You are learning pretty fast," said Fili, clapping me on the shoulder before going to Thorin.

"I am so bad at this," I mumbled after he left.

"Oh, come on love," said Kili, putting his arm around me. "You just started. You can't expect to be an expert after your first try."

"I just want to prove them wrong."

"I'm sure you will someday. Maybe you should try archery. I'm better at that than sword fighting."

"I'll try, but let me warn you, I have horrible aim."

"You can't be _that _bad! Here," said Kili handing me his bow. "Aim for the center of that tree trunk."

I held up his bow-which was a bit too big for me- and let an arrow fly. It whizzed right past the tree and into a bush.

"I told you I was bad," I muttered, blushing.

Kili laughed. "You're just holding it wrong. Here,"

He moved to stand behind me.

"Hold the bow with your left arm, like this," he put his left hand on mine and helped me hold up the bow. "Then pull back the arrow to your lips."

He placed his right hand over mine and we pulled back the string.

He was so close to me, I could feel his chest rising and falling against my back. Suddenly, I turned my face towards his, which was only inches away.

His dark brown eyes were searching mine and I couldn't look away. His face was incredibly close now and I could feel his breath through his parted lips. My lips parted automatically. He was so close, our lips were almost touching...

Something inside of me panicked, and I quickly turned my head away.

"N-now what?" I asked, my voice shaking.

Kili, unfazed, whispered, "Aim and release."

We let the arrow go and it flew directly into the center of the tree. I quickly stepped away from Kili, all-to-aware that my face was probably bright red.

"We should probably go back to camp now. It's getting dark," I said, softly. I was staring at the ground.

Kili sighed and stepped close to me once again. He reached out a hand to stroke my burning cheek. He ran his thumb along my bottom lip, making me feel faint.

"You're right," he grabbed my hand and led me back to camp.

"What took you two so long?" asked Thorin, eyeing us suspiciously.

I could feel everyone's eyes on me as they took in our entwined hands and my flushed face.

"I was just teaching Libby how to shoot an arrow," said Kili.

"Right," someone muttered and some snickers followed.

I hastily pulled my hand out of Kili's and went to sit next to Bilbo.

"Come, brother," said Fili, standing up. "Let's go fetch some more firewood."

Kili grinned at me before going off with Fili.

"So," said Bilbo, once everyone had broken off into separate conversations once again. "Was Kili really teaching you how to shoot an arrow?"

"Well, it started out that way...but then...he...well he..." I spluttered. "Oh, Bilbo. I think he was going to kiss me!"

"And?"

"And I panicked!" I cried, my face in my hands. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I was just worried, I guess...I don't even know why!"

"Libby," sighed Bilbo. "It's obvious to everyone that you two fancy one another."

"_Everyone_?" I asked, cringing.

"Even Bifur," chuckled Bilbo.

* * *

That night, I laid down in between Bilbo and Kili. Fili was on the other side of Kili.

"Thanks for teaching me how to use my sword," I whispered. I felt my face grow warm as I forced myself to add, "And for showing me how to shoot an arrow."

Kili reached over to lay his hand on my cheek.

"Anytime, love."

I woke up once that night. I had shifted in my sleep and was now laying _very _close to Kili. My face was only inches away from his chest, My first instinct was to shy away. But I made myself stay still and just enjoy being close to him.

* * *

When I woke up again, it was light out. All the dwarves were still asleep, which meant it was still very early. I was expecting to see Kili laying next to me, but saw Fili instead. I sat up slowly. Kili wasn't in his spot and I didn't see him anywhere else. I stood up, to see better. Gandalf was awake and leaning against a tree, smoking his pipe.

Once he noticed me, he smiled and nodded into the trees.

"He went that way."

"Thanks," I said, smiling shyly.

I made my way through the trees until I found the small clearing. Kili was shooting arrows at the trees. I watched him for awhile, fascinated. He was the only dwarf in the group who used a bow and his aim was perfect. I wanted to get closer, so I took a step forwards. A twig snapped under my foot and Kili whipped around, pointing an arrow right at me. I stepped back in surprise, tripping over a rock and falling to the ground. I landed painfully on my backside.

_ I just can't win, can I?_

I heard a _thump _as Kili's bow was dropped to the ground to join me. Kili rushed over.

"Are you alright?"

"Oh sure," I mumbled, irritably. "I love it when arrows are pointed in my face first thing in the morning."

Kili chuckled and helped me up. I brushed the dirt off my back.

"Why are _you _up this early anyways?" he asked.

"I don't know. I couldn't sleep anymore."

"Me neither."

"Do you always practice archery when you can't sleep?" I asked, remembering back in the Shire.

"Yeah."

"And is that a lot?"

Kili rubbed the back of his neck and went over to pick up his bow.

"What is it?" I asked, going over to him.

"You know...It's just frustrating. I mean, Thorin is the best king we could ask for. He lead us through war before and he knows what he's doing. And everyone loves Fili. I don't blame them. He's an amazing swordsman and everyone says he is going to make a great king one day. And I know he will... But where does that leave me? I'm just his goofy, little brother. The other dwarves think of me as a failure. I bet Thorin thinks of me as a failure. I feel like I don't even belong here on this quest. Thorin is the leader and Fili is training to be king. But why am I even here? What's my purpose?"

"Kili, you're not a failure," I said. It made me sad that he thought of himself as one.

"It's not like you would understand."

"W-what?" I asked, taken aback.

"You're not even from this world. You wouldn't know what I'm talking about."

"I have no idea how you feel?" I asked, sarcastically. Maybe it was the early hour or because the topic was a bit touchy with me, but I was so angry. "I have no idea what it feels like to think you are a failure? To feel like everyone is looking down on you. I only feel it every single day of my life. People judged me all the time because I decided not to take the normal route and continue my schooling. They just assumed that meant I was stupid and that I was never going anywhere in my life. Because I'm not doing something practical, they just gave up on me. They didn't even give me a chance to prove them wrong! I even get it here from you guys," I jabbed a finger into his chest. "You don't think I can handle myself. Because I'm a girl it means I must be weak and defenseless. Well, I'm sick of it all! Don't you dare accuse me of not understanding how you feel. I feel it every day."

With my voice hoarse from raising it, I turned around sharply and walked away. Kili grabbed my arm, but I yanked it angrily out of his grasp. Tears were leaking out of my eyes now.

When I got back to camp, everyone was awake and bustling around.

"Where were you?" asked Bilbo, but he froze when he saw my face. "Are you crying?"

"It's nothing," I lied, trying to shield my wet face from him.

"It most certainly is not nothing!" exclaimed Bilbo as he pulled my hand away from my face. "Where's Kili?"

"In the woods. We just got into a bit of an argument, that's all."

"He made you cry," said Bilbo, angrily. "I have a few words to say to him when he gets back here..."

"No, Bilbo. Please. It doesn't matter," I pleaded.

"It does matter, Libby," he replied.

"Just stay out of it. Please."

He eyed me warily.

"Okay," he said after a minute. "But I'll be keeping an eye on him."

I went over to my bedroll and sat down, pulling my bag towards me. I rummaged through it until I found my hair brush. I undid my messy braid and moodily ran my brush through the tangled strands.

Someone sat down beside me and I looked over quickly. It was Fili.

"I'm sorry for whatever my brother said that upset you."

"It's not your fault," I replied, stiffly.

"I know but don't hold it against him too much."

I opened my mouth to protest, but Fili held up his hands.

"Listen. Kili cares for you very much. I know that he would never purposely hurt you. I'm not saying whatever he said or did was right; I'm just saying that Kili doesn't always think before he speaks. It's gotten him in trouble before. But he truly does care about you."

I sighed.

_Maybe I was a bit harsh..._

I finished brushing my hair and pulled it up into a high ponytail. I rolled up my bedroll and packed my bag. I stood up and looked at Kili's pony. I didn't know if I wanted to ride with him or not...or if he would even want to ride with me. I didn't like this fighting thing.

As I was contemplating, I heard a familiar voice behind me.

"Can I please talk to you?"

I eyed Kili, cautiously. He took my hands and pulled me aside. I knew Bilbo was watching us.

"I feel horrible," he began, looking down at our entwined hands. "I shouldn't have said what I did to you. I wasn't thinking of how you feel; I was being selfish and rude. And I am so sorry."

"Well, maybe I was being a bit oversensitive and grumpy..." I begrudgingly admitted.

"I should have known better than to say anything to _you _that early in the morning," Kili laughed.

I finally smiled. "You are forgiven, then."

I was feeling very happy that this stupid fight was behind us, which caused me to feel very daring as I stood on my tip-toes and kissed Kili's cheek. His arms encircled my waist.

Someone cleared their throat.

I quickly pushed out of Kili's arms.

"Everyone else is ready to move on," said Thorin, with a very annoyed expression. "Are you two finished?"

I was too mortified to speak, but Kili just rolled his eyes and said "Yes uncle."

I no longer felt so daring as we made the walk of shame to Kili's pony, trying to avoid the smirks the others were giving us.

* * *

**Sorry I didn't update for awhile. These past two weeks were not the greatest. But I am back and ready to write! **

**~Fantasydreamer44**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11:

As we rode along together on Kili's pony, Kili asked me questions about everything. Questions about my old world, about things I liked and disliked, about my favorite things, about singing, and on and on. When I asked him why he was asking so many questions, he simply said, "I just want to know more about you."

So I made up a rule that for every question he asked me, he had to have an answer for himself as well. I learned that Kili was seventy seven years old, his mother's name was Dis-Thorin's sister, his father was killed in battle when Kili was very young, and that Thorin had helped Dis raise him and Fili. And also that his favorite color was teal blue and his favorite drink was ale. Kili couldn't believe it when I told him that I had never drank it before because of the drinking age in my old world.

I was trying to explain the clothing and make-up I used to wear, but it was confusing him.

"Why make yourself look different than you actually look?"

_That's a good question...why did I do that?_

"I don't know...Most women used make-up and stuff. What are dwarf women like?"

"Just like the men, I suppose," said Kili.

"Really?" I asked, surprised. "Without the beards, of course."

"No."

"What?"

"Dwarf women have beards too," said Kili, like it was completely normal. Which I guess it was normal for him.

"Oh..." I said awkwardly. "Well I hope my lack of facial hair doesn't bother you..."

"Not at all," he replied, chuckling. "Actually, I quite like it."

Not going to lie, inside I gave a sigh of relief.

"So they are just like the men? Do they dress differently than men? What do they wear?"

"They wear the same things as men do usually. They wear gowns or robes if there is a formal event or celebration going on. All dwarfs like to wear jewels and all dwarfs braid their hair."

"But you aren't wearing any jewels and your hair isn't braided," I pointed out.

"Okay, let me rephrase," Kili said, grinning. "Most dwarves like to wear jewels and braid their hair. I'm too young to have many jewels and I don't really like braids in my hair. There are different kinds of braids. Some of them are just for decoration, like Fili's braids. But some of them have special meanings, like Thorin's."

"I guess that makes sense."

* * *

Finally we stopped for the night and began to set up camp. Once again, I fell without grace, into Kili's awaiting arms.

"Maybe I will be able to do that without your help one day," I grumbled.

"I hope not!" Kili laughed, tucking the hair that had come loose from my ponytail behind my ear.

Kili and I walked over to where Bilbo was. He smiled at us. We chatted for a few moments before Bilbo said we should probably get to work before Thorin came to yell at us. So he went to go help Bombur with the stew and Kili went to help Fili collect firewood. This left me alone. I plopped down on a log that was near me and sighed to myself.

_Why do I feel so confused about this whole thing?_

"Something bothering you, lassie?" asked Bofur, sitting next to me.

"Oh," I started. "It's nothing."

"That sigh didn't sound like nothing to me," said Bofur, with raised eyebrows. "Let me guess; it has something to do with a young dwarf prince?"

I sighed in defeat. There was no point in denying it.

"I am just so confused," I admitted. "And scared."

Bofur nodded. "I know exactly how you feel."

"You do?"

"Aye. I was young and in love once."

"What was she like?" I asked, softly.

"She was wonderful. She was so spirited and brave. She was full of life and always wanted to do things that were a bit crazy," Bofur smiled at the memories of his love. "She was beautiful."

"What happened?"

"Her father did not approve of me. I mean, I am nobody really. Not even a blacksmith or miner. No, I'm just a simple toymaker. I didn't have enough gold for him to allow me to marry his precious daughter. Gold is very important to dwarves, you see. I wasn't worthy of her hand."

"That's not fair!" I exclaimed. "You are _so _worthy!"

"I'm glad you think so. That is one of the reasons why I decided to come on this quest. I do want to reclaim our homeland, of course. But part of me hopes that once I have my share of the treasure, I will be able to convince her father to let her marry me."

"Oh, Bofur," I sighed. "That is so romantic. You'll also be a hero. I'm sure he will let her marry you. How could he refuse someone who defeated a dragon and reclaimed Erebor?"

"Let's see if I make it through this whole thing alive, before you start planning the wedding," Bofur chuckled.

"So..." I said, trying to act casual. I failed. "Dwarves do get married then..."

Bofur gave me a knowing look. "Of course. It isn't as common as it is in other races, but yes; dwarves do get married. Why, my own brother is married."

"Bombur is married?" I laughed, watching the large dwarf chatting away with Bilbo as they prepared supper. "I guess I can see that. He is so easy to get along with.

"And Gloin is married and has a son."

I grunted in response to that. I was still a bit sore about the sword fighting incident.

"Don't hold a grudge against him for not teaching you how to fight. Some of the older dwarves just aren't used to a young girl, such as yourself, wanting to fight. Dwarf woman are protected and cherished."

"It's not that I _want _to fight," I objected. "I would just like to be able to defend myself so I'm not completely useless and reliant on you all."

"Ah, but dwarves are very protective and they probably feel like they could protect you if you were ever in trouble. So therefore-in their minds- you should not need to learn how to fight."

I let this sink in. It made me feel a _little _less bitter towards them.

"So Gloin is married?" I observed Gloin as he muttered to Dori and Oin. He seemed so gruff, I wondered who could fall in love with him.

My eyes wandered over to Thorin. He was staring off into the distance, lost in thought.

"Is Thorin married?" I wondered aloud.

"Thorin? No."

"I wonder why."

"He hasn't had much time to interact with other dwarves unless it had to do with reclaiming Erebor. This quest is all he has thought about for a long time. And I believe that he keeps to himself, mostly. Unlike your prince and his brother, who could talk to anyone. They haven't seen what Thorin has. They haven't fought in a war like Thorin has. They are still young and happy. Life hasn't been cruel to them yet," said Bofur, watching Thorin as well.

"That's so sad," I said softly, my heart breaking for Thorin.

"Yes. But it does put more pressure on Fili and Kili."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Since Thorin has produced no heirs, and Fili and Kili do not have a sister; one of them must get married to keep the line of Durin going," Bofur said with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Oh..." I said, my stomach fluttering with hope. Kili had to get married...could I be his choice? I felt my cheeks grow warm. I would have to have his children. "Oh!"

Bofur laughed and gently squeezed my hand.

"You are both still too young. There is no rush for anything."

I wasn't even sure I wanted to have children. I loved them, but childbirth terrified me. Not to mention the lack of medical advances that had been made here. I doubt they had epidurals to give women in labor. My mind turned to what Kili and I would have to do in order to have a baby... I was inexperienced to say the least. Eighteen years old and had hardly kissed any boys.

"What are you two talking about?" asked Kili, plopping down next to me.

I looked up, startled. I stared wide-eyed at Bofur.

He tried to hold back his smile.

"I was just asking Miss Libby if she would delight us with another one of her songs tonight," he lied.

"Well, what do you say, love?" Kili put his arm around me. "Will you give us the pleasure of hearing your sweet voice again?"

I laughed. I felt giddy from his compliment and his touch.

"Of course!"

So that night after we had eaten and we were all relaxing by the fire, I sang to them. I wanted to sing them a song from my old world. But I didn't want to freak them out by singing Lady Gaga or Katy Perry or anything like that. So I chose a song by one of my favorite artists.

_When the rain__  
Is blowing in your face  
And the whole world  
Is on your case  
I could offer you  
A warm embrace  
To make you feel my love_

_When the evening shadows_  
_And the stars appear_

_And there is no one there  
To dry your tears  
I could hold you  
For a million years__  
To make you feel my love_

_I know you_  
_Haven't made_  
_Your mind up yet_  
_But I would never_  
_Do you wrong_  
_I've known it_  
_From the moment_  
_That we met_  
_No doubt in my mind_  
_Where you belong_

_I'd go hungry_  
_I'd go black and blue and_  
_I'd go crawling_  
_Down the avenue_  
_You know there's nothing_  
_That I wouldn't do_  
_To make you feel my love_

_The storms are raging_  
_On the rolling sea_  
_And on the highway of regret_  
_The winds of change_  
_Are blowing wild and free_  
_You ain't seen nothing_  
_Like me yet_

I_ could make you happy_  
_Make your dreams come true_  
_Nothing that I wouldn't do_  
_Go to the ends_  
_Of the Earth for you_  
_To make you feel my love, To make you feel my love_.

When I finished, I looked up at Kili, shyly. He was gazing back at me with a small smile.

"Well that was just lovely," Bofur spoke after a moment of silence. "I've never heard a song like it before."

"It's from my old world. One of my favorites."

I desperately wished I could explain to them all the different genres of music there was, but I couldn't. I didn't know how.

Later that night, I laid down in my usual spot in-between Bilbo and Kili.

"Libby," whispered Kili.

I rolled over to face him.

"Do you think you could sing to me some other songs from your world sometime?"

"Sure," I smiled, sleepily. I wanted nothing more than to have my ipod so I could play him some of my music.

Kili grinned back and I stayed turned towards him as I drifted off into sleep.

* * *

I was in the middle of some sort of battle. I looked around panicking. I couldn't see anyone that I knew. Dwarves, elves, orcs, and goblins raced past me in a blur. They were fighting each other, viciously. It was a mess of blood and gore everywhere, which made me feel sick. An orc come charging at me. I screamed and closed my eyes, sure I was done for. I waited for the pain, but it never came. I opened my eyes to find that the orc was on the other side of me now, as if he had just ran right through me. I held up my hands; they looked transparent. It was as if I was a ghost.

I didn't really have time to think about that. I just needed to get out of there. Dead bodies littered the ground. I felt so sick. Then I heard the yell. It was a horrible rough, screech. I looked up to see a giant, white orc-it had to be Azog- with his sword through Thorin's back.

"No!" I shouted, but no sound came out.

I stared wide-eyed at the scene before me. Kili and Fili had been standing near Thorin and they turned around to face Azog. The Pale Orc laughed as they challenged him. I watched in horror as they tried to fight him. I wanted to go help them, but I had no weapon, no skill. So I watched helplessly, with tears pouring down my cheeks.

There was a moment where I thought Kili and Fili might actually win.

_Please, please, please, please, please, please, please..._

"No!" I screamed silently.

With one blow, Azog had killed them both.

I felt as if my heart had been ripped out of my body.

Azog laughed, maliciously as he held up the head of Thorin in one hand and the heads of Kili and Fili in his other.

"No," I sobbed. "No, please."

I was being pulled down by orcs and goblins. Horrible, slimy hands were grabbing me. I tried to scream, to kick, to fight back. But I was too weak. They were shaking me.

"No...No!"

"Libby, wake up!"

I opened my eyes. Bilbo was starting down at me, his hands on my shoulders.

"You're alright," he said, gently. "You were having a nightmare."

I sat up quickly. Most of the dwarves were still sleeping. But both Kili and Fili were awake and watching me with concern. They were alive. But I knew what I had just seen was not just a dream. As the images from that horrible battle filled my mind, I felt myself gasping for air.

I couldn't breathe. The dwarves I had come to love the most were going to be killed. I was hyperventilating now. I felt trapped and panicked.

"What is wrong with the girl?" barked, Thorin. He had been up taking the first watch.

"She calls it a panic attack," explained Bilbo. "It happened to her once back in the Shire. She said it used to happen to her a lot when she lived in her old world."

"Well, make her stop! Do something!" snapped Thorin.

"We just have to try to calm her down," replied Bilbo.

To my surprise, it was Kili, not Bilbo, who rubbed my back gently.

"You're okay," he said, softly. "Nothing is going to hurt you while you're with us."

_You're going to die! I think I love you and you are going to be killed. And I can't do anything to stop it._

While I was thinking that, all that I was able to choke out was a strangled sounding sob. I threw my arms around Kili's neck. He went stiff, probably unsure what to do about my mental breakdown. I didn't really care at that point. I just wanted to be as close to him as possible. He relaxed against me and held me tighter as I cried into his neck.

"Shhh," he soothed. "It will be alright."

"No," I managed to say. My whole body was shaking.

"Just relax."

He laid down, bringing me with him. I held on to him as he continued to stroke my hair. Soon, I stopped shaking and my sobs turned to sniffs and eventually went silent.

I felt Kili's chest rising and falling against mine and I felt incredibly safe in his strong arms. I tried so hard to forget what I had seen, but I couldn't.

* * *

When I opened my eyes once more, the sun was rising. Kili's arms were still around me and I felt warm and at peace; like it was really only a nightmare that I had last night. I wanted to lay there forever. But I knew I had something important to do before anyone woke up. I wriggled my way out of Kili's arms.

I looked down at his sleeping face and I knew I was in deep.

I also knew Gandalf was awake; he always was.

"Miss Libby," he smiled. "You had a rough night."

"Mr. Gandalf," I said, trying to stay calm. "I don't think that my nightmare was _just _a nightmare."

He looked grim as he lead us away from the others. "You have remembered the ending to this story."

"So it's true?" I felt panicked again. "Why did you bring me here? So I could fall in love with a man doomed to die? So that I will finally feel like I belong somewhere and then take it all away?"

"Calm down, Libby," said Gandalf, sternly. "I brought you here so you could change the ending of the story."

"But-"

He cut me off. "You read about this world through Tolkien's books, correct?"

"You- you know about those?" I asked, completely taken aback.

"Tolkien was a man from this world. An oracle, you could call him. He saw the future of Middle Earth in extraordinary detail. And he wrote down exactly what he saw and when he saw it."

"Then how did he end up in my world?"

"He was brought there by a spell. Quite like the one that brought you here. But while he was in your world, he fell in love and got married. He had to make a choice."

"He had to choose if he was going to come back to Middle Earth or stay there with his love," I guessed.

Gandalf nodded.

"He chose to give up any life he had in Middle Earth and stay in your world."

"This is fascinating," I said, truthfully. "But what does it have to do with me?"

"Tolkien was a very studious man and grew bored of your world quickly. He would never leave his wife and children to come back though. So he took the visions he had seen and put them together to form stories. He changed a few things, here and there, but for the most part, they were the same."

"So the books are really just the future of Middle Earth written out?" I tried to make sense of it all. "Then that means the ending really is going to happen!"

"The future is always changing. That is why I brought you here," said Gandalf. "I want to change the future and save some innocent lives. I would like to make Tolkien's visions _just _stories."

"How did you find me?" I asked. "Why did you pick me?"

"I just bumped into you on day, quite literally. I had no idea you were the one until I started talking to you. Then I knew. It was as if fate brought you to me. Fate says the future needs to be changed."

"How am I supposed to change it? How am I supposed to save Kili?"

"You will know when the time comes." He must have sensed I was unsatisfied with this answer because he added, "I know this is going to be difficult. But I have faith in you. I would not have brought you here if I wasn't positive you were the one."

_I am the one? I never expected that to ever happen to me! _

I was finally getting the adventure I had always craved. Only now I wasn't sure if I wanted it anymore.

Gandalf observed me with understanding eyes and took my tiny hand in his large one.

"Everything will be as it should be in the end."

The others were beginning to stir and I knew that this conversation was over. With a last worried look at Gandalf, I went to sit by Kili, Fili, and Bilbo.

All three of them watched me, wearily.

"I am sorry...about last night," I said, shyly.

"There is nothing to be sorry about, Libby," said Bilbo being so kind like always. "You had a nightmare. It's not your fault."

"Agreed," replied Fili. "Although you did scare us a tiny bit. But I don't think my brother minded comforting you all night."

Kili shot his brother a look before leaning towards me.

"Of course not, love," he said, gently tucking my hair behind my ear and holding my face in his hand. "Whatever scared you so much last night can't hurt you. You'll always be safe with me."

_If only you knew._

* * *

**Authors note:**

**The song used in this is "To Make You Feel my Love" the Adele version.**

**I also want to thank everyone who has left a review. I really appreciate your feedback and I am glad that you like the story so far. It means a lot to me!**

**Thanks for reading this chapter and please review! See you soon!**

**~Fantasydreamer44**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12:

"Something's coming!" Thorin shouted.

Kili and I looked up. All the dwarves sprang into action. Kili grabbed my arm and pulled me up with him. He then prepared his bow and went to stand next to Fili, who was holding out his two swords.

"Stay together!" commanded Gandalf. "Hurry now, arm yourselves."

I stuck close to Bilbo, who hesitantly drew his sword. I drew my own sword, wishing Kili and Fili had given me another lesson.

I was mentally preparing myself for a orcs and goblins. What I was not expecting was a strange old man riding a sled.

"Thieves!" the old man yelled as we all stared. "Fire! _MURDER_!"

He stopped short right in front of us. He was the strangest looking man I had ever seen. Considering who I was traveling with, that was saying something! He had long brown-grey hair and beard with something that looked horribly like dried bird poop tangled through it. His wide green eyes were partially hidden under wild eyebrows and he wore a long, tattered, moldy robe and hat. To top everything off, his sled was being pulled by giant rabbits.

"Radagast!" said Gandalf, sounding relieved. "Radagast the Brown. What are you doing here?"

"I was looking for you, Gandalf. Something is wrong. Something is terribly wrong."

"Yes?"

Radagast opened his mouth to speak but then closed it again, his eyebrows knit together.

I gave a confused look to Bilbo, who shrugged.

"Oh, just give me a minute. Um, oh. I had a thought...and then I lost it. It is right there on the tip of my tongue..." Radagast said. "Oh wait. It's not a thought at all. It's just a silly old stick insect."

Gandalf reached up and pulled the bug from Radagast's mouth. I gagged.

_That did _not _just happen!_

Gandalf took Radagast aside and they began to talk quietly to each other.

I looked across the clearing to Kili. I could tell he was as confused as I was.

A sharp howl rang through the air, making me jump.

"Was that a wolf?" asked Bilbo, nervously. "Are there-are there wolves out there?

"Wolves? No, that is not a wolf," said Bofur.

Suddenly, a giant wolf creature leapt through the trees. Thorin sliced it with his sword. I stood, petrified, looking down at the dead monster by my feet.

There was a fierce growl from behind me. I turned to see another creature glaring at me with red eyes. With drool dripping from its fangs, it lunged at me. I screamed, positive that my life was over.

An arrow pierced its shoulder and it fell to the side where Dwalin quickly finished it off.

I turned back to face Kili, who was holding his bow and staring at me with wide eyes. We were both aware of how close I just was to death.

"Warg-scouts!" said Thorin, pulling his sword out from the first warg's head. "Which means an orc pack is not far behind."

"Orc pack?" squeaked Bilbo.

_ So there are orcs after all...great._

"Who did you tell about your quest beyond your kin?" asked Gandalf.

"No one," replied Thorin.

"Who did you tell?" Gandalf demanded, harshly.

"No one, I swear! What is going on?"

"You are being hunted."

"We have to get out of here," said Dwalin.

_My thoughts exactly._

"We can't!" yelped Ori. "The ponies must have bolted when the wargs attacked."

I was panicking by now and totally overwhelmed. I was almost positive we were going to be captured and killed by orcs.

"I'll draw them off," said Radagast.

"These are Gundabad Wargs," said Gandalf, shaking his head. "They will out run you."

"These are Rhosgobel Rabbits; I'd like to see them try!"

Radagast set off on his sled, going to distract the orcs. We waited until Gandalf gave the OK to run through the woods and out into a rocky plain. We ducked behind the rocks and Gandalf looked out.

"Come on!" he said.

"Move!" Thorin yelled and we started running again.

We ran and we ran. The farther we ran, the farther I fell behind. I was struggling to keep up with Bilbo and Bombur, which was pretty pathetic. Finally we ducked behind another rock. My chest was heaving and I was having difficulty breathing. Bilbo nodded to me in equal discomfort. Kili made his way over to me looking concerned.

"Libby," he whispered. "Are you okay?"

"I...think...so," I said in between deep breaths.

_I'm just regretting all the times I blew off gym class!_

Gandalf started running again and I couldn't hold back my groan. Kili took my hand and ran with me to another rock. He made sure I didn't fall too far behind.

I leaned back against the stone, my chest was in serious pain. There was a sniffling sound from above us.

I looked up at Kili with wide eyes and stopped my breathing altogether. He squeezed my arm, but was watching Thorin. Thorin nodded. Kili pushed me into Fili then pulled out an arrow to prepare his bow. From under Fili's arms, I saw Kili step out quickly to send an arrow into the beast above us. It let out a squeal and tumbled down to us. The dwarves promptly took care of the warg and its rider, but not without making a lot of noise. We heard the howls from the other wargs.

"Move," said Gandalf. "Run!"

We ran through the tall grass; the wargs were closing in around us, herding us. I pulled out my sword, but my hands were shaking too much to actually do anything. I stood back-to-back with Bilbo, who was shaking as well.

"There's more coming!" I heard Kili yell.

"Kili, shoot them!" Thorin shouted back.

"We're surrounded!" said Fili.

I didn't think there was any hope for us. Even Kili and Fili were scared. We were done for!

"Where is Gandalf?" asked Kili, his voice retrieving me from my gloomy thoughts.

"He has abandoned us!" Dwalin said, angrily.

Something didn't make sense; it wasn't like Gandalf to just leave us in trouble.

"Hold your ground," commanded Thorin.

_We are dead! We are so dead!_

"This way, you fools!" came Gandalf's voice.

My heart soared as I turned to see him standing by a rock. This rock had a crack in it, making it perfect to slide into. Bilbo and the dwarves slid into the cave, but I hesitated.

A warg came out of nowhere and lunged at me. I screamed, but Thorin killed it with one swing of his sword.

"What are you waiting for?" he growled. "Get in!"

"No!" I cried desperately. I watched the wargs get closer and closer to Kili as he tried to shoot them all. "Not without Kili."

Thorin glared at me before yelling, "Kili, run!"

Then he picked me up like I weighed nothing -which was far from the truth- and threw me into the cave. Thankfully, the others caught me as I tumbled down. After a moment Kili and Thorin slid down to meet us.

"Kili!" I cried, throwing my arms around him. I pulled him off to the side and kissed his rough cheek over and over. I was so relieved that we were both alive, I forgot to by shy or embarrassed.

He pulled away, smirking. Then I remembered, my face hot as I began to push away. He just laughed and pulled me back into his embrace.

The company stood in silence until we heard horns sounding and horses galloping above us. An orc corpse rolled down into our cave and I buried my face in Kili's chest. Those things were scary! Once we were sure it was an orc corpse and not still alive, Thorin reached down and yanked out the arrow that had killed it.

"Elves," he snarled after examining the arrow. He threw it on the ground with disgust.

"There is a pathway over here," said Dwalin. "I cannot see where it leads. Do we follow it or not?"

"Follow it, of course!" replied Bofur and the others mumbled their agreement.

"I think that would be wise," Gandalf winked at me as Kili pulled me along.

The path was between two rocky cliffs and it became very narrow at one point. It wasn't a problem for Bilbo or I, but for the wide dwarves it was more difficult. Kili kept a firm grip on my hand the whole time. Although, I wasn't really sure where he expected me to go. I was wedged between two cliffs one way and two dwarfs the other way.

After a while, the pathway ended, leaving us on a cliff overlooking one of the most beautiful sights I had ever seen.

It was a perfect city, built into the side of the mountains. It was surrounded by flowing waterfalls and luscious, green plants. It was breathtakingly beautiful. It was so perfect that it didn't look real. From what I had read in both Tolkien's and Bilbo's books, this could only be one place.

Gandalf spoke first. "The Valley of Imraldis. In the common tongue, it is know by another name."

"Rivendell," Bilbo and I said at the same time. I looked over at him to see his eyes filled with wonder and awe.

"Here lies the last Homely House east of the sea," continued Gandalf.

"So, this was your plan all along," Thorin accused. "To seek refuge with our enemy."

"You have no enemies here, Thorin Oakenshield. The only ill-will to be found in this valley is that which you bring yourself."

"Stay back from the edge, Libby," said Kili quietly, pulling me closer to him.

I hadn't even realized I was walking forwards. It was like the city was magnetically drawing me to it.

"It's just so beautiful," I said.

"Eh, it's okay," said Fili from next to us. "I've seen better."

I gave him a look.

Kili wrapped his arms around me, making my heart flutter. I caught Bilbo's eye; he was grinning at me. I tilted my head up at Kili, who was talking away to Fili now. It was as if he didn't even realize he was holding me close. I smiled and leaned back against him. My feet were aching from all the running we did and I was starving. I didn't feel like walking anymore, so I was determined to enjoy this restful moment before we had to start walking once again.

* * *

**Thanks for reading this chapter! Endless amounts of thanks to all who have favorited, followed, and reviewed. I promise there will be some really exciting things coming up in the next chapter. I am going to try and get it up very soon. Please review, follow, and favorite if you would like to and get ready for the next super exciting chapter!**

**~Fantasydreamer44 **


End file.
